Reviews to Die For
by SuddenlySandi
Summary: Bella and Edward are assigned to find out who is killing people who leave bad reviews to online stories. They get in deeper than they imagine when his son is taken from him. All Human
1. Chapter 1 thru 3

_**Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Characters. **_

_The young mother of two opened her email to check her reviews. She had just loaded a new chapter and was anxious to see what people thought. It was hard for her to find time to write, with a toddler and an infant to care for, but it made her feel connected to the adult world. She would write during nap times and after everyone was asleep, it was limited and she felt guilty for taking so long to complete chapters._

_Her attention was drawn to a review typed in all caps. She read: DO YOU KNOW WHAT A PERIOD IS? IT IS A SMALL DOT AT THE END OF SENTENCE. ALSO, LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR, THERE, AND THEY'RE, YOU IDIOT. The young woman burst into tears and left the story unfinished._

_The figure waiting on the stairs wasn't going to let the comment go. The door opened and the skinny, bucktooth woman walked in, grumbling under her breath about a supposed wrong that was done to her. The figure waited for her to sit at the computer before lunging with an ice pick. Her body was riddled with small dots, bloody grammar, as the stranger tried to make a point._

Edward was sitting at his desk looking online for a pale yellow tie; he needed one for his brother's wedding. Who picks pale yellow, he thought? His soon to be sister-in-law assured him it would look great with the black suits, but he didn't plan on wearing the suit coat for long during the hot summer. His boss, Winston, stuck his head in his office. "Where's your partner?" he asked.

"At a deposition. Why?" Edward asked in return.

His new partner was experiencing the worst part of the job, sitting in court waiting for a possible question. She had been assigned to him two months ago and they finished a case he had been working on. She was a quick learner and easy going, so he didn't mind teaching her the ropes. Edward was a veteran of three years now; Bella Swan was his third partner. People came and went quickly under so much pressure, but he liked the fast pace, high thrill, and quickly changing lifestyle.

"I have a case for you," Winston said as he tossed a file on Edward's desk. "Be ready to leave by tonight."

He picked up the folder and began reading. He knew his new partner was not going to be happy about being sent clear to the other side of the country on such short notice. Since coming to the bureau she still hadn't unpacked her things. He read further and began chuckling. His door opened and Bella walked in.

"What's so funny," she asked, showing exhaustion from a day in court.

"Ever hear of Forks, Washington?" he asked and tossed her the file.

She picked it up and began to read. He watched her closely. Her thick dark hair and porcelain skin gave her an ethereal look. She was pretty, but not in an obvious kind of way, making it easy for her to blend in. Together they made a great pair. Her eyes slowly moved from the paper up to his. "Vampires?"

He shook his head and took a sip from his coffee, "Vampire stories, and someone is taking them very seriously. Have you heard of FanNet?"

"Vaguely, isn't it some writing thing?"

"You write about known characters and load them on the site for others to read. It seems someone doesn't like being critiqued."

"An author?"

"No, the stories all come from various authors, but when they get a negative review the unkind person ends up dead."

Her eyes shot open wide and she looked back at the file. "How can it be one person doing it, the reviewers come from all over the world?"

"It is narrowed a bit, it only happens to people who criticize stories regarding a certain vampire family."

"So, why are we going to Forks?"

"In the original book it is where the family hails from, the town is making a lot of money off the tourists, so they have the biggest motive to keep negative things out of the press," he reached for the file and Bella pulled it out of his grasp.

"Surely, we aren't being sent across country with such little information to go on," she said, trying to find any way out of the new assignment. She had worked hard over the past two months to prove herself to her new partner, but she was tired of living out of boxes and since their case was over she hoped to take time to settle in. It wasn't a relationship she wanted time for; it was simply a need to feel like she belonged here.

"There's a lead, Winston wants to meet with us," he said and stood. Edward was well over six feet, but not an overtly big man. He was thin and fast, but it was his instincts and quick wit that made him such a valuable agent.

"Damn it, Edward, I need to unpack, can you fight for me a bit?" she asked and followed him from the room. They walked down the long hallway and into the administration end of the floor where Winston's office was. He had the door open and waved his hand for them to enter as he spoke on the phone.

Bella sat and then leaned closer to Edward and said, "Push to get the case alone."

Edward didn't respond and tried very hard to keep a smile from his face. He was not heading to Forks alone and would do everything he could to make sure Bella would suffer right along with him; she needed the experience over unpacking.

Winston hung up and turned to give them his undivided attention. Edward took the folder from Bella's hand and said, "This sounds interesting, and vital to have Bella with me."

"You ass," she mumbled and sat back in anger.

Edward smiled and loved that he was getting under her skin. She was learning he would always be the antagonist and finding it fun to bug her. But he also knew she needed as much experience as she could get. He would teach her things, like unpacking, would always come second to a case. He did admit she was a quick study and he felt comfortable depending on her, so much better than his last partner.

"You must take Bella," Winston said. "This is more of a girl's story and the killer is most likely a woman."

"So you think a woman travels around the world and kills people who don't like a story written by an anonymous person? Come on, that is as absurd as the original Vampire story," Bella said. It wasn't like she just didn't want to do her job, it was the fact the job was ridiculous and she had better things to do with her time.

"We have a person of interest. She doesn't travel the world, but she has the means to pay people in various parts of the world. She runs a bed and breakfast in Forks, and corresponds with people who are really into the FanNet aspect of the characters. Several people have said she is a bit eccentric and kind of freaky."

"Most likely caused by lack of sunshine," Bella grumbled and grabbed the file from Edward's hand.

"Or probably someone who has lived out of boxes and lost their mind," he teased her and she smacked his leg with the folder. "Where does her wealth come from, surely not from running the bed and breakfast?"

"Her family made its money from logging; she's the last of the line, still single and owns most of the land around Forks. We need you to go in as a couple celebrating an anniversary. Bella, you'll be obsessed with the book, so study up. Edward, you're along for the ride, but looking for attention due to your wife's new interest."

Bella laughed hardily, she loved the idea of Edward Cullen, the suave ladies man, not able to keep his wife from lusting after a character in a book. He didn't seem too enthusiastic for the assignment after that point.

He didn't think it would be possible to find fun in the small town of Forks; most of the people were visitors, although the person of interest did look interesting in her photo. She had long thick fire red hair, appeared to be in her mid thirties, and the tattoo peaking out of her low cut shirt had him intrigued.

"You have a flight in three hours," Winston told them. "You are booked to stay at the place for two weeks, but if you need more time, Bella can demand to stay."

"Oh goody," she said and stood to leave. Edward led the way and stopped by his office to shut off the computer and lights. Bella held the elevator for him and sighed when the doors closed and they were all alone.

"What?" he asked, a bit put out she was dreading being his wife so badly. His last partner, Tanya, had enjoyed working assignments that had them act like a couple, until she married and wanted a family over life in the bureau.

"Nothing, I'll grab my already packed suitcase and be ready to go," she said as she shook her head.

"Hire someone to unpack you and stop bitching about it," he suggested, going back to his antagonizing way to anger her.

"Yeah, great idea, then I won't know where anything is. Just don't talk to me," she said and crossed her arms.

"Perfect, it's like we're really married," he said and hit the button again as if it would make the elevator go faster.

They walked quietly to their separate cars and he finally called over to her, "Do you need to stop somewhere to buy the book?"

She shook her head back and forth and felt her face blush, admitting she had read the Vampire love story. He laughed loudly and climbed into his car as she squealed out and got in front of him. He followed her to the new apartment she had yet to unpack and parked in front. It felt odd to walk with her to her door, but they would be living as man and wife for two weeks so he felt he better shed the feeling now.

She unlocked the door and groaned at the sight of all the full boxes. "I'll be right back," she said and headed down the hallway. Edward moved a box off the sofa so he could sit, not believing a woman when she said she would be right back. He was right; she returned forty minutes later pulling a large suitcase behind her.

"I'll take that," he offered and she pushed his hand away.

"It has wheels, I think I can pull a suitcase," she said offensively.

"Fine, pull away," he said and extended his arm toward the door. She grabbed her laptop, checking her gun in the fake bottom of the computer case, and shut off the lights before trying to navigate the door with the large bag. Edward stood back with a smirk and let her fight her way from the room.

They climbed into Edward's car and drove to his place. She was instantly jealous of the spacious apartment, which was clean and orderly. It was decorated with a modern edge and he had pictures everywhere. She walked over and picked up a family portrait, with stylish parents, a huge brother and a tiny sister. None of them looked anything alike and she wondered if Edward was adopted. He came back within ten minutes pulling his own bag.

"No way, you're done?" she asked.

"Yes, I don't have to analyze my attire, it pretty much fits with whatever mood I have," he said with a smile.

"You must be one of those psychotically organized people," she accused.

"Nope, just a man," he said and something about the way he said it sent chills down her spine. She instantly chastised herself for even subconsciously becoming attracted to a partner. They could not become involved, rule number one, and she didn't want to get the reputation as the agent that slept with partners. This was all an act and she had to keep that in mind.

He called a cab and she sat in a chair to wait. He sat across from her and smiled, "How did court go?"

"Good, I only had to refer to my notes once, but of course I've only had one case since I got here," she laughed and he nodded.

"You have good instincts, you'll be a great agent," he said, causing her to blush a bit.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

He stood and leaned over his coffee table to hand her something. "Bella, will you marry me," he laughed and she looked at the ring he was holding out.

"Why not, you seem harmless," she teased and took the ring and put it on her finger as he did the same with a band.

She sat back in the chair and looked at him, getting the same chills as earlier. He wasn't smiling but staring directly into her eyes. She fidgeted a bit and wished the cab would hurry. He noticed her ill at ease movements and worried about making their cover seem plausible.

"Hey," he said softly and she looked at him. "We need to appear natural, will it be a problem?"

"Not at all, I can turn it on when I have to," she said and watched a smile grow on his face.

"Am I, 'it'?" he asked.

"Grow up," she answered and looked away. She felt like such a rookie, getting flustered by her good looking partner when he teased her with sexual innuendo.

"Okay, this will be our fifth wedding anniversary; we married in college at Colorado State University, I'm an accountant and you work for a graphic design firm. We love the outdoors and I surprised you with the trip," he ticked off quickly.

"What's the issue?" she asked and he gave her a puzzled look. "Every couple has an issue that causes a wedge. I'm turning to a fictional vampire, so there must be an issue."

He gave her a funny look and turned his eyes as he thought. "Okay, I play cards, I'm gone with buddies a lot and you read to pass the time."

"What if you get asked to a card game?" she asked wondering if he came up with the issue because it was truly an issue for him.

"Then I'll take some money off some poor sap," he said with a grin.

"Great, a confident gambler," she answered.

"Life's a gamble, sweetheart," he said and she rolled her eyes at him.

Now she realized why he was single. They had never talked about their personal situations and she didn't know if there was a woman he was seeing or if he was divorced, she just knew he didn't wear a ring and never spoke of a woman. She glanced back at his family photo and pointed. "Your family?"

"Yeah, my father and mother are physicians. My older brother, Emmett, is getting married in a couple of months, and my little sister Alice, is a senior at the University of Illinois."

"You're a middle child?" she asked and smiled when he set his shoulders.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"That Emmett beat you up a lot and Alice got all the attention," she laughed.

"What are you?" he asked and put the topic back on her, which she didn't want.

"I'm an only child," she said and waited for his rebuke. "My father's a cop and my mom's a teacher."

He completely passed on the myriad of comments he could have made and asked, "What made you want to be a fed?" She smiled and looked away so he pressed. "You watched, Silence of the Lambs, didn't you?"

"No," she said with disgust. "I had a really cute criminal justice professor."

"Oh, that's much better," he laughed loudly.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I attended a job fair in high school, the feds were cool," he explained.

She nodded in understanding. He was most likely tired of being bullied by his brother and felt becoming an agent would give him some of his self respect back. He was a nice guy, and seemed very educated and mannerly, of course, his looks didn't hurt, but Bella felt lucky to have him as a partner.

The cab driver buzzed Edward's apartment and they headed down stairs to ride to the airport. She was a bit surprised when he took her hand once they settled into the back of the cab. He glanced over and said, "It all starts right now. Every action you make from this point forward will be as my wife."

She nodded and liked the idea that he would hold her hand in a cab if he was truly her husband. She relaxed and leaned into his shoulder as she let her head rest against him. The vibrations of the car made her sleepy so she closed her eyes. He turned twice to kiss her head and she smiled unknowingly.

They checked their bags and made their way through security before stopping off in the airport bar for a drink. They found an empty booth in the back and sat in the dark room. The waitress smiled at the sight of Edward, and quickly glanced at his ring, before asking what they wanted to drink. "I'll have a vodka tonic, what do you want, love?"

Bella giggled at the oddness of having him call her love in front of people and tried to cover by saying, "I'll have a Jack and Coke, honey."

The woman walked away and Edward kicked Bella's foot, "Come on, you can't laugh at me when I'm using pet names."

"I'll get better; it just feels funny to suddenly be at the stage where you use pet names for someone without any build up." She looked at him and began laughing again so he kicked it up a notch.

"Just wait until we climb into bed together tonight," he said and her face drained of all blood.

2

Bella spent most of the flight from Dulles reading some of the FanNet stories. She was really getting into the various interpretations of the main characters and finding a couple better than the original book. Edward was studying the murders and exactly how they were committed. Whoever was behind the killings was very brutal.

"Look at this," he said leaning over to Bella. "The victim was found with paper in the stomach cavity. She was forced to ingest the story she criticized."

"Well, that's one way to make her eat her words," Bella said and looked at which story she had been fed. "I read that one; it was really good, why did she rag on it."

"She wrote, 'I didn't like the ending, it was too cliché and felt rushed.' Did it?" Edward asked Bella since she had read it.

"I didn't think so, but I wouldn't think that way to begin with, I mean, the story is in the authors head so how can anyone say it was rushed? It can only be rushed it the author wanted it rushed. I thought it flowed similarly to the rest of the story."

"Relax, she's already been killed for saying it was rushed," he said and Bella pushed his shoulder with her hand. "Oh man, this one was ruthless with her review, and she got her fingers chopped off and had them placed on the ground to form an F and a U."

"Which story?" Bella asked and looked over at the file. "I haven't read that one yet."

"Shouldn't they be drained of blood or something? I mean it is a book about Vampires after all," he asked.

"The stories on FanNet are not all Vamps, some of them have turned the characters human, and some have the male leads together in a love story," she said and watched for his reaction.

"No shit," he said and leaned over to look at the screen she was reading.

"You're not going to leave me for another man, are you?" she teased and he turned his attention to her. She smiled and when his eyes moved to her lips she suddenly felt awkward again. He began moving toward her mouth and when the flight attendant walked up Bella jumped as if getting caught with another woman's man.

"Are you using that pillow?" the woman asked her. Bella shook her head and handed the small square to her.

"We're going to have to work on your reflexes," Edward said and Bella began to wonder if he was truly acting this way for her sake or his own gratification.

"Not really," she said. "If we've been married for five years we should hardly be speaking."

"My parents have been married for thirty years and they are still all over each other," he said with a slight frown.

It made Bella feel a bit sad, hers were divorced and maybe if they continued acting like newlyweds they would still be together. She questioned his motives because she learned men don't stick around. Edward was open and demonstrative with his affections because it was what he had been taught about marriage. She hopped she would be able to pull this off.

Bella took the initiative and leaned toward him for a kiss. She planned on making it just a loving peck on the mouth, but his hands came to her face and held her for a longer passionate kiss. She wasn't sure how to respond, because if he was truly her husband she would be dragging him to the bathroom to join the mile high club. She let her hand run up his arm and held onto his wrist. When he finally pulled away she took a shaky breath and hoped he didn't notice.

"Much better," he said and turned back to his file. He was trying to act casual, but inside he was working to keep visions of pulling her onto his lap out of his head. He had been on an assignment like this once before, but kissing the other agent didn't feel the same as kissing Bella. He convinced himself it was because Bella was a junior agent and he felt responsible for her.

Bella went back to reading and couldn't believe how sexy some of the stories were. They were very graphic and quite frankly, getting her hot. She was reading about a very detailed description of the male characters genitalia, and when Edward nudged her the word, Cock, sprang from her mouth.

"What?" he laughed loudly.

She buried her face in her hands as he continued to laugh. "It was the next word in the sentence," she tried to explain, so he took her lap top and pulled it onto his tray.

"I think I need to read a few of these," he laughed. He read a couple of lines and turned to look at her. "Oh my God, women are filthy."

"Don't comment or we'll kill you," she teased and felt her face still blushing from her outburst.

He pointed to a paragraph and said, "I'm sorry, but that is not even possible."

"Maybe not for you, but for a Vampire it is an every night occurrence," she said to explain and also take a dig at his ego.

"Now I get the whole Vampire obsession, women just like a guy that can keep it hard for hours and men like a guy who can suck a woman dry for demanding he keep it hard for hours."

"Sorry, but we have to invent creatures of the night to satisfy us," Bella laughed.

"Ah, but there's the fatal flaw, see, there are devices to do the same thing, but you still want the guy. It isn't the sex you crave, it is the man."

"You can't write an entire story about a relationship with a vibrator, idiot."

"Try it, write about your vibrator and see if anyone gets killed for giving it a bad review," he said and pushed the lap top back onto her tray.

"I didn't say I have one," she pointed out.

"Of course not, because you want the man," he laughed.

"Shut up," she said under her breath and went back to reading the explicit story. If she were to write a story it would have the lead male character as a mute. She had done her rounds of choosing the wrong guys and pretty much gave up on finding a good one. She wasn't into looks and status, she just wanted one who knew how to be faithful and not use her as his personal ATM.

Edward was romantic by nature and had grown up watching his father treat his mother tenderly. Woman today wanted a man who she could boss around or use for stuff, he didn't mind showering his women with gifts; he just didn't want it to be a stipulation to keep seeing her.

He leaned back and read a bit more of the story on her screen, but it was only getting him aroused so he finally closed his eyes and went to sleep. He woke up, covered with a blanket, and found Bella with her head on his shoulder. Her tiny hands were wrapped around his arm and he hated to move and wake her. It felt nice to have a woman snuggled up to him, he missed it.

The plane began to prepare for landing and when Bella woke up she looked up into his eyes. He leaned over to kiss her forehead and she stretched her arms across his body. The plane was dark and the cramped row of seats gave them a feeling of privacy. He held her chin with his fingers and kissed her. Her hand moved to his neck and the feeling of her warm fingers on his flesh caused him to moan and pull her closer.

Bella was wound tightly from reading the sensual stories and found the darkness escalated every sensation. She felt him breathing against her face, his hot mouth moving on hers, as his hand went into her hair and fisted it securely. When he moaned she felt her body arch up for his, searching for the pressure she needed.

The flight attendant began speaking and they broke apart at the lips, but kept their foreheads connected as they both breathed loudly. Bella was over analyzing everything and yelling at herself to realize they were both acting a part. Edward's thoughts were much simpler. He could hardly wait to get to the hotel so he could take a shower and get rid of the frustration he was feeling.

They didn't speak for the remainder of the flight and disembarked simply holding hands without looking at each other. Bella waited for the bags as Edward rented a car. It was late and neither one felt up for a long drive so they stopped at a hotel in Seattle.

"You can use the shower first," he offered, not knowing how long he would be. It was a big mistake. Bella dug through her bag and went into the bathroom. She showered, shaved her legs, dried her hair, straightened it, and dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When she finally emerged Edward was sound asleep on the bed, still wearing his shoes.

Bella pulled down the covers on her side and climbed into the bed. She tried to keep quiet and not disturb him. It was late when he woke and took off his shoes before heading to the bath room. She felt him come back to bed and move closer to her. It didn't feel as odd as she thought it would to share a bed with him.

The sound of a shower woke her in the morning and she was grateful she had done everything the night before. She dressed and packed up her bag as she listened to him shave. He finally came back to the room with only a towel wrapped around his torso. She felt her eyes scan his body and hoped he didn't notice.

"Jesus, you took forever last night," he said as he pulled his boxers up under the towel. "You could write an entire trilogy about your vibrator."

"You told me to go first," she pointed out.

"Yeah, I forgot it takes women forever to take care of business," he said and put on his jeans.

"I didn't 'take care of business' and if that was what you needed to do you should have told me," she said angrily and he smirked at her, causing her to blush again. She grabbed the file and looked at the back story they needed to perfect.

She would be Bella Marie Cullen age twenty-seven, from Colorado, parents deceased, and living with her husband in Virginia. She glanced at some of the coroner reports and felt sick to her stomach, so she shut the file and put it back on his briefcase.

"Any questions?" he asked.

"So am I befriending the owner, or are you?" she asked.

"We'll play it by ear, and see who she warms up to first. Just assume we are being watched at all times and react as you would if I was really your husband. Don't worry about how I may be processing the attention, I know we are on a case and if it is something you would naturally do, go ahead and do it, I'll be doing the same."

She understood his message and would have to remind herself he is working a case and not trying to play her. He was having his own inner war, hoping he could turn it off as easily as he seemed able to turn it on. He finished dressing and they took their bags to the car before heading to the hotel restaurant to eat.

She felt people staring at them and tried to work on standing close and touching him as she spoke. It began to feel much more natural and when he pulled out her chair after kissing her cheek she never even blushed.

"Okay, lightening round," he said a wiped his mouth. "Favorite food?"

"Pasta, you?"

"Steak. Favorite music?"

"Retro stuff, Beatles, Pink Floyd, KISS."

"I like jazz and anything that isn't synthesized. What size do you wear?"

"Pass," she said with a smile and he nodded.

"I wear thirty four, thirty six, and a large tall," he said and she nodded, so he continued on. "Chocolate or Vanilla?"

"Chocolate, of course."

"When was your last period?"

She choked out a cough and looked at him with shock. "Why?"

"If we are married I would know," he pointed out.

"Just make up a day," she said and looked away. He was truly beginning to worry. The last assignment he had like this, he and his partner had weeks to prepare and still made a couple of blunders. Bella was holding back and it would cost lives.

"We have to be more relaxed with each other, Bella. You aren't playing a part; you are living, breathing, as my wife. It has to seem real," he warned her.

"I told you I'll do fine when I need to, it is just doing it now seems too forced," she said to give him a bit of hope it would get better. He wondered if maybe it would help if he told her he was actually interested in her; make her think he was feeling what he was playing. He would worry about the consequences after they found the killer. She ate in silence and he decided to see how it went when they got to Forks and then decide.

He paid the bill and they got into the car. He turned to her and asked, "Did I put salt and pepper on my eggs?"

"What?" she asked.

"We just ate together, you don't eat the edges of the toast, you used salt but not pepper, and you drank your water after every sip of your coffee. Did I put salt and pepper on my eggs?"

"I don't know," she said softly and realized how much better he was at this than she was. He took a deep breath and she finally decided to take a stand.

"Okay, let's see how observant you can be. Do I wax or shave? What shampoo do I use? Is my hair straight or curly?

He smiled and leaned closer to her in the seat. "You shave, because I felt your legs in the bed and I could feel the beginning of new growth. You use over the counter Dove shampoo and conditioner, because you left your toiletry bag in the bathroom. Your hair is curly because I also saw your straightener. You wear Giorgio Red perfume, I smelled it when I first met you, and you bite your nails and never wear polish.

"I'm an awful agent," she said and felt tears beginning to form.

"None of that has anything to do with being an agent, I know it all because I'm a man and you are very attractive," he told her to bolster her confidence.

She lowered her eyes and said, "You wear Lucky jeans and plain colored v neck tees, you like ankle socks, carry your phone in your left front pocket, and chew peppermint gum."

"Damn, Bella, are you stalking me?" he asked and her eyes shot open wide making him laugh as he started the car and headed to Forks.

3

The town was small and had references to vampires everywhere. It almost felt like a studio set and they both chuckled as they searched for the bed and breakfast set back into the forest. The driveway wound through the trees and had wooded cutouts of the various book characters hidden along the way.

"This is really creepy," Bella said as she looked around.

"But love, this is where you wanted to come," he said, and reached over to take her hand telling her to remember the game. She took a deep breath and tried to focus.

He pulled in front of a large gothic looking house. It had a big wraparound porch with narrow steps and a wheelchair ramp. Edward stepped from the car and opened the trunk. Bella walked over and put both arms around him from behind.

"You good?" he asked as he turned his head away from the house to speak.

She smiled and said softly, "Eyes are on us." She had noticed someone with red hair looking out the parlor window.

He turned in her arms and kissed her a couple of times before reaching for the bags. She followed him up the steps and the door opened before they reached it. A beautiful woman smiled up at them from a wheelchair.

"Welcome to Chez Fang, home of Vampires, good and bad," she said and backed up so they could enter.

"Hi," Edward said with a smile. "I'm Edward and this is my wife Bella. We're the Cullens."

"I understand it's your anniversary," she said. Bella nodded and let her hand run down Edward's back and settle on his butt, hooking her finger in his back pocket.

"Yeah, I brought my wife here to swoon over a fictitious man for our anniversary," he teased.

"There are women in the book, too," Bella laughed and looked at the woman in the chair. "I've begged him to read it, but he won't. I've even tried to get him to read some hot FanNet stories."

The woman seemed to light up at the mention of FanNet stories. She moved her chair closer to Bella and asked, "Have you written any stories?"

Bella laughed, "No, I'm too chicken. Some people can be really cruel, and I don't have the confidence to hear the shit from strangers."

"I know what you mean," the woman said with a nod. "People feel they can bully from the comfort of their own homes, hidden away, too afraid to write their own stuff or tell you who they really are."

"Do you write?" Bella asked her.

"No, I'm just a big fan. I have a lot of authors come here to stay. I read as many stories as I possibly can. My name is Victoria, by the way."

"You have a great place here, Victoria," Bella said and stepped forward to shake hands. Edward was amazed at how easily she bonded with the woman and decided to stay out of their conversation. He looked around as they spoke and when she asked where they came from he jumped in before Bella could answer.

"We're here from Denver," he said and Bella wondered why he changed their back story from Virginia. Her ease was suddenly hindered and she wondered what she was missing. He could feel her stiffen and turned to speak directly to her. "Love, have a seat and I'll get us checked in."

Victoria made her way to an antique secretary desk and pulled out paperwork for Edward to sign. Bella looked around the room and noticed small details from the book, like the ink well and quill, the pocket watch hanging in a display case, and a heart shaped pillow on the rocking chair. She had to admit Victoria made the place seem like you stepped inside the book.

They climbed the stairs and went to the end of the hall to their room. It was the perfect romantic spot for an anniversary, if they were actually celebrating a real one. Bella walked over to look out the window into the dark forest and was glad Edward would be in here with her. He sat the bags down and pulled out his computer and turned it on.

"Love, can you put away our clothes?" he asked and sat at the desk.

"Sure," she said, irritated that she would be unpacking his things when she had so much of her own unpacking to do at home. She put things into the empty wardrobe and he held out his hand for her. She took his hand and he pulled her onto his lap and moved her hair out of the way so he could nibble on her ear.

"The rooms bugged," he whispered.

"Already, you don't want to wait for tonight?" she said and tried not to glance around the room.

"Why don't we take a run and then come spend the rest of the day in the room," he said as he pushed her off his lap. They changed into running clothes and waited until they cleared the property before speaking to each other.

"Can you jam the bug?" she asked.

"Yeah, but she'll know. The bathroom is clear, so we will have to act like we are having shower sex and leave the bed for sleeping," he said and she hoped fake noises wouldn't be needed. "Victoria seems to like you, so I'll stay clear of her and let you work it out."

"My gut tells me she's harmless," Bella said and he glanced at her with a smirk. "I'm not saying she isn't the one behind everything, I'm just saying I don't think she could actually kill someone."

"If she is hiring it to be done, she is just as guilty," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. This just seems so bizarre over a book; I mean the whole town has been converted into Transylvania all for tourist money. FanNet is a site for amateur writers, why would anyone take it so seriously?"

"You should see some of the reviews. There are a few people who make it their life's vocation to rip stories apart."

"Purists who want to keep the book version alive?" Bella asked.

"No, more like people who just have a need to be an ass; it must be fun for them to put someone down. The world is full of people who feel only their opinions matter."

"But killing them for it is a bit much, don't you think?

Edward stopped running and looked at a diner touting vampire specials. "There is a lot of money coming in here, and it won't last long. I'm not sure if it is money that is the motivation or protecting the authors and their hard work."

"Hard work, they write stories," she chuckled.

"I think you should write something to load, just so we will understand the whole process. Let Victoria know you're writing and I'll find some guys to play cards with," Edward suggested.

She looked at him and laughed. What he was suggesting was absurd; she didn't have any idea how to come up with a story. Reading was a hobby since she first read Romeo and Juliet, but she never tried her hand at writing. But she had to admit it would be a good way to get closer to Victoria.

"How are you going to find some guys to play cards with?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "You doubt me?"

"No, I'm just asking, a small town like this must be pretty tight knit."

"I'll hit a few of the bars and strike up a friendship with the locals. It will be easy to break through when they hear I have money to lose."

"Some man code thing?" Bella laughed.

"They will all be pitying me when they hear how ignored I am by my wife," he teased and pulled her in for a quick kiss. It felt natural and spontaneous and both were caught off guard by the ease at which it came for them to act like a couple. It was only this morning she wasn't sure she could pull it off, and now she felt like she was taking a run with her husband.

"Why are we from Denver now?" she asked him as they began walking again.

"I saw a sticker on her van, Virginia is for lovers, I didn't want her putting it together with Langley," he explained.

They headed into the diner and ordered from a young woman named Angela. She had a kind face and an open demeanor so Bella struck up a conversation. "We're here from Denver, this seems like a nice place to live," Bella said.

She smiled and nodded in agreement. "Forks has some great qualities on its own. We don't need all this Vampire stuff, it cheapens the town."

"We're staying at Chez Fang, I doubt Victoria agrees with you," Bella said and watched Angela's reaction closely.

The woman rolled her eyes with disgust and huffed angrily. "People like Tanya are ruining this town. I doubt she is mentally stable."

"Do you know why she is in a wheelchair?" Edward asked.

"No, she can walk just fine, I've seen her," Angela said and Edward gave Bella a stunned glance. She finally left to fill their order and they both tried to figure out why Tanya would use a chair if she didn't need to.

"Edward," Bella said, "Maybe she has something like fibromyalgia or a condition that tires her?"

"See what you can find out, women confide better in other women. I found that out with my other partner," he said and Bella felt a bit of jealousy.

"Were you and Tanya close?"

"What do you mean, we were partners?" He knew Bella was feeling a bit of jealousy and didn't know how to ease her mind. Tanya had been his partner for almost two years. They had experienced a lot and knew each other very well, but he was never attracted to her as a man, like he was with Bella.

"I guess I just want to know if it is hard to switch partners?" she asked and wouldn't look at his eyes.

"Bella," he said softly and she looked up at him. "It's like making a movie, we try to make it look like we are madly in love, but it's just playing a part."

"I know it, Edward, but I'm sure there is a comfort in knowing your partner well and it must be hard to start over again."

"I can't compare, since I am senior agent now, this is so different from what I had with Tanya. I feel responsible for you on a different level," he lied. It wasn't responsibility he was feeling, it was attraction, but he wasn't letting himself admit it just yet.

Angela brought their food and Edward asked, "Do you know of anywhere to play poker?"

"Yeah, they have a game on the reservation in La Push," she answered and Bella noticed how much Edward lit up.

She ate a few fries and finally asked, "Do you have a gambling problem?"

"It isn't a problem if I'm winning," he teased.

"Seriously, Edward, is this something I need to keep a watch on?" She hated the thought of watching him like a fishwife, but she wasn't going to watch him fall prey to addiction. He needed a distraction for this case but she wondered if he was only opening up an old wound.

"Why, love, you don't trust me," he laughed and she was beginning to get angry. He wouldn't be serious and it caused her intuition to worry her.

"Shit," she said and tossed her fries back onto the plate. "I don't need a trainer one step away from rehab. Are you in trouble here or not?"

"No, I use poker to hone my instincts. I'm not in it for the money or the rush. It helps me to read people, that's all, but thanks for asking, sweetheart." He acted angry but she wasn't about to let him push it off onto her. He didn't answer her simple question and as a partner she should worry about him.

"Don't give me that little boy shit," she said as she leaned in to speak softly to him. "I asked you for my own information, be straight with me, Edward, and we won't have these problems. And by the way, you hold your straw with your left hand, you salt your fries, and you don't let any of the different foods on your plate touch."

He broke into a smile and kicked her foot with his. "I knew you were a natural," he said and she felt a bit of pride that he was happy with her development.

They went back to their eating and Bella began to worry about writing a story. She tried to think of different scenario's to write about, but she couldn't take it further than just an idea. Edward noticed the tense look on her face and asked what was bothering her.

"Give me a story idea," she pressed.

"Write about something you know, a past boyfriend or something," he suggested.

She shook her head and knew she would never have the nerve to write about real things. She would feel too exposed and too vulnerable. Her past relationship was very painful and she didn't want anyone knowing about it.

He watched her reaction and knew there was something deeply buried. He wanted her to offer to share it with him, not as a partner but as a friend. He bit his lip for a moment and had to admit that wasn't true, he wanted to know about her past relationships because he felt she somehow belonged to him. He warned himself to tread lightly and watch himself closely. He couldn't jeopardize the case and end up falling in love with a coworker.

Bella looked around the diner in frustration. The only idea she would come up with was about the character falling in love with someone she could never tell, an unrequited love that had to stay in the dark, as he held her, and kissed her, and pretended to love her.

The tension filled them as they both sat quietly thinking about the other. The sun was beginning to head lower in the sky and the realization they would have to climb into a bed together was weighing heavily on them both.

When they finished eating Edward paid and they walked outside. "We better head back," he said.

"Yeah, it will be dark soon," she responded.

They began walking toward the bed and breakfast in silence, filled with anticipation and the need to touch each other, but also the dread of trying to pretend.


	2. Chapter 4 thru 6

4

_The room was dark and only the small movement of the curtains held any mention of someone hiding in the shadows. The young woman sat on her bed as she chatted on the phone and looked at her laptop. It wasn't this review she would die for, but ones in the past._

"_I hate it; I don't see what the big deal is. I think the story sucks and she is getting all these stupid reviews for the crap she wrote," she said hatefully. "I've read better stories by grade school kids."_

_She was spreading her vile thoughts with friends, gaining courage by her obscurity and ignorant peers. She listened for a moment to the other person on the line and then began typing. She laughed as she typed her words and stopped long enough to read to the co-conspirator. _

"_I told the author to just flush her story down the toilet next time instead of loading it, it would help keep shit off of FanNet," she laughed as if her comment was the thing deserving a review._

_The shadow decided how it would handle this one. She would be the one flushed in the toilet. The young woman finally hung up her phone and shut the laptop. Her attacks were finished for the night never to return again. She walked into the bathroom connected to her room and leaned over to start a bath. The water splashed noisily as the tub filled. She stood to remove her shirt. _

_A thin wire came over her head and was pulled forcefully as a foot planted in her back, slicing her throat clear to the bone. The water turned red as her tongue was cut from her mouth and flushed down the toilet._

_It took less than one minute and the intruder was gone. It took fifteen minutes for the overflowing water to makes its way down the hallway, onto the stairs, and discovered by the parents watching television in the family room. _

Victoria was sitting in her chair by the desk when Edward and Bella walked through the door. She smiled up at them and spoke, "More guests have checked in, two students from Arizona."

"Great," they both smiled and Bella almost blew it by admitting she was raised in Arizona.

Edward took her hand and said, "Let's hit the showers, love."

She felt a jolt run through her body and her grin was genuine as they walked arm in arm up the stairs. When they got to the room she headed to the drawers to get her pajamas and Edward grabbed his shaving kit.

He turned to look at her as his eyes made a sweep of the room without making it too obvious. "Do you feel up to a little fun in the shower?" he asked, and walked closer to her.

"Do you think you can keep up?" she laughed, and took hold of his shirt and leaned in to kiss him. She meant for it to be a quick peck but they both leaned in further and deepened the kiss. She could taste the salty sweat on his upper lip and he could feel her mouth tremble against his.

He dropped his kit on the bed and she let her clothes fall to the floor as they moved in closer and wrapped around each other. When he plunged his tongue into her mouth she inhaled sharply and his body came alive against her abdomen.

At that moment his phone rang in his pocket and they both quickly pulled apart and refused to look at each other. Edward turned away to answer and Bella headed into the bathroom.

"So, less than an hour ago?" Edward said into his phone with a shocked voice. "Yeah, okay, email me and I'll take a look at your figures." He felt time was moving too slowly for them. They needed results because people were dying.

He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower before nodding for Bella to join him. She stepped in wearing her running bra and shorts and he pulled her ear against his lips to speak. "Another victim, female, seventeen, from Florida, I'll be emailed the information in an encrypted file."

She nodded and they both looked around the bathroom for anything that could be a camera. They knew it wasn't bugged with a listening device, but a camera would be easy to hide. "I think we're good," he whispered into Bella's ear.

She nodded and went to step out of the shower, but he grabbed her arm and smiled, "Come on, we're adults. We can shower without losing control."

His words hurt, because she knew she wouldn't be able to resist him if he tried to touch her, but he was the senior agent and obviously only acting the part. He pulled off his running shorts and compression shorts as she removed her clothes and tossed them on the counter to dry. He soaped up as she shampooed her hair, both keeping their eyes off the others body. When he finished he stepped out and hung a dry towel over the glass door to obscure his vision of her. When she finally stepped from the shower he was gone. She dried her hair and applied lotion to her body before coming back into the room. He was sitting in lounge pants which hung so low on his hips, and when he stood she couldn't help but look down at the hair peeking out.

He nodded for her to come over and sit on his lap and kissed her shoulder while she read the file. It turned her stomach to know the woman downstairs could have ordered a murder after talking with them so sweetly. She wanted to find evidence as quickly as possible.

"I know I promised I wouldn't work while we were here, but this was an emergency," he said with his lips against the skin of her arm.

"Okay, as long as it isn't a habit," she said and turned to look at him. She was saying the fake words but feeling everything as if it was real. She loved the way he nibbled on her shoulder and wrapped his hands around her.

Their eyes met, and she watched as his moved to look at her lips. He stared as he swallowed deeply and then took a deep breath. She knew she needed to move off of his lap, but she was frozen in desire. He finally spoke with a shaky voice, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Sure," she answered and remained seated.

"Anything particular?" he asked and licked his lips.

"It's all up to you," she said with a breathy voice and he tightened his eyes shut for a moment.

He knew most likely everything was up to him. She would follow his lead and at this point his desire was winning over his judgment. "Go get in my bed," he said just above a whisper and she rose automatically and walked like a zombie to the large pedestal bed. Her mind was screaming at her to stay focused on the case and not let a good looking guy turn her head. But this felt like…more.

Edward grabbed the remote and turned to a movie channel listed on the card attached to the television. He walked over to shut off the light and climbed into the bed, keeping his arms out of the covers. Bella put her pillows against the headboard and waited for him to settle on a movie.

When he let the remote drop he turned to look up at her. "Is this okay?" he asked and she didn't look at the screen, only his eyes.

"Perfect," she answered and he rolled to his side for her to move deeper into the bed and even with him.

Her hands came up to rest under her cheek and she looked into his eyes. He smiled but it wasn't a typical smile given by friends, or coworkers, or even family. He smiled like a man who couldn't believe a woman agreed to come to his bed. He smiled like a lover promising tenderness and release, but mostly like a man finding something new in a life he had become accustomed to.

"I think I have a story idea," she said softly.

"Great, you can have the evening tomorrow and I'll head to La Push," he said and continued to smile at her.

"I'm not sure I can let you read it," she admitted, afraid he would see too much of her heart if she did.

"Can you tell me about it?" he whispered and reached out to let his finger trail down her face.

"I'm terrified…to write." The story would not be the vampire from the book, but of the sexy man lying with her in the bed. She had to find a way to say what she was feeling without letting Edward see it was him she was talking about.

He could feel her entire body shaking and knew it wasn't the writing she was terrified of; it was lying next to him in the darkness as he touched her. "Tell me what you want from me," he whispered and promised himself if she told him to back off he would, no matter how much he wanted her.

"We're partners," she whispered back and let one of her hands come out from under her chin to grab his finger.

He watched as she pulled his finger into her mouth and let her warm saliva seep into his flesh as she held it tightly in her lips. She had no idea what prompted her to make that move, but she needed something from him, something intimate and personal. He was supposed to teach her everything about being an agent and she needed to trust him, but this was more than she could handle. Her last experience at love left her heartbroken and if Edward did the same it would ruin her.

He pulled his finger from her mouth and moved closer with his lips. "Edward, please don't hurt me," she whispered just as his mouth touched hers. When her words registered, he pulled back and looked at her with surprise, and then the awful guilt began to settle on him. It was his job to teach her how undercover operations worked and he let his own lust get the better of him.

He smiled at her wide eyes and tried to act as natural as possible as he said, "Get some sleep, love." He picked up the remote and shut off the television. They both lay in the dark as they tried to process what was happening, finding sleep impossible. He finally pulled her to his chest and held her tightly as they both began to drift off.

Bella wondered how she would ever be able to sleep alone again. She needed to hear his heartbeat and feel his arms around her. Her own arm ran across his bare stomach and settled against his warm skin as her leg wrapped with his. It felt soothing and she tried not to think about going back to Langley and working from the office across from him.

Her sleep was fitful and dreams terrified her in the room that she didn't feel comfortable with. She was trying to run toward the killer, hoping to catch a glimpse or possibly save the next victim. She reached for the shadow which spun around, blood dripping from his sharp fangs, and screamed loudly.

Edward sat up quickly and put his arms around her for solace. "Bella, you're okay, love. It's just a dream."

She turned and buried her face in his neck as her body shook from fear. He lay back and pulled her with him, running his hand up and down her back. "You're with me, you're safe," he told her and felt his arms naturally tighten with his words.

"I'm sorry," she said softly feeling like such a rookie. She didn't move away because she needed to feel him holding her.

"It's this damn place, who wants to sleep in a vampire's lair?" he said with disgust.

Bella laughed softly, "There is no mention of a lair in the book."

"So, what's this guys attraction?" he asked and she smiled at the sound of jealousy in his voice.

"He has everything under control, he understands the world and makes the women feel safe," she said and then laughed at her own words. How could a vampire make a woman feel safe? "I guess the guy knows just what to say and when to say it."

"He sounds like a schmuck," Edward said and Bella laughed louder.

"I think you could give him a run for his money, Edward Cullen," she admitted and he chuckled.

"Are you calling me a schmuck?"

"No, you say such wonderful things," she said softly in the darkness. She wasn't teasing him anymore and spoke truthfully.

"You make me feel such wonderful things," he said back and she smiled as he continued to hold her for the remainder of the night.

They woke up the next morning to the sound of loud laughter coming from downstairs. Edward sat up and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to wake up fully. "You want some coffee," he asked when Bella stirred.

She watched as he climbed out of bed and walked toward the door. "Hey," she called out and he turned with his hand on the knob. "You can't go down there like that."

He looked down at his lounge pants and looked back at her, "Why?"

She laughed uncomfortably and moved to the edge of the bed. Her hand waved up and down his body and said, "You're my husband, Edward. Put on a shirt, and some pants that are less…obvious, before you come face to face with two coeds."

"Obvious?" he asked and looked down at his pants.

"Yeah, less…clingy," she said and felt her face turn red.

"These are clingy?" he asked and smiled at her as she continued to look at his pants. Her eyes finally looked up at his and she turned away with embarrassment. She grabbed a button down shirt and tossed it to him. It was long enough to cover his clingy pants and he walked out the door laughing as he buttoned the shirt.

5

With the Florida murder Bella and Edward felt the need to push Victoria a bit faster. Edward fixed cups of coffee as he listened to her talk to the two young ladies about stories on FanNet. He took his time and made toast to hear which story they were talking about. When he returned to the room Bella was dressed in a skirt and tee.

"Have you read, Noir?" he asked her.

"Not all of it, I read some, but I didn't really care for it. I'm not saying it is a bad story it was just something that didn't interest me," she admitted.

"Go join in the conversation downstairs and watch Victoria for a reaction. I have some work to do on my computer and I'll call for you in about half an hour."

Bella headed downstairs and introduced herself to Jessica and Lauren. They were so excited to be in Forks and every word out of their mouths was about Vampires. Bella listened to their take on the story and jumped into the conversation.

"I didn't care for the story. It was well written, but I didn't like how it took place in the fourteenth century Paris," Bella said and watch Victoria.

"The characters were experiencing the terror of the black plague, it had to be then," Victoria said angrily.

"I know, I just have a hard time understanding that time period. It just wasn't for me, that's all," Bella said softly.

"Did you leave a review?" Victoria asked with wide eyes.

"I didn't finish it, but I wouldn't tell her anything mean," Bella said and watched Victoria relax. "I'm thinking of giving writing a try."

"You should," Jessica said. "It is really cathartic. You can write about things in your past or things that bug you."

"I was thinking of something Fiction, I'm not brave enough to write from my life," Bella said honestly.

"When you feel a story it changes you," Lauren said. "I have read stories on FanNet I like more than most books I read."

"I doubt my story will change anyone, it will just be something simple."

"What is it going to be about, and what is the title?" Victoria asked enthusiastically. Bella suddenly felt pressure. She was terrified to have someone read her story, but even more afraid for people she knew to read it.

"I'm at the very beginning stage of the process. I'll let you know," she said and made her way back upstairs. Edward was sitting at the desk and looking at some schematics on his computer. He looked up when Bella walked in.

"What happened downstairs?" he asked. He could tell Bella was upset and pushed back from the table to give her his entire attention.

"Edward, I can't write a story, I'm not a writer," she said with a panic. He smiled and she threw herself on the bed in anger. "Don't laugh at me," she demanded.

"It is only for… reactions. It doesn't have to be a real story," he pointed out, but it didn't help ease her mind.

"Edward, I cut down the story Noir and at least the person had the nerve to write it, who am I to criticize it?"

"Everyone has different tastes," he said but she shook her head.

"It is like a baseball player who gets yelled at by the fans for striking out. At least he got up to bat and took the chance. You can't hit it out of the park every time and especially not the first time." She was getting emotional and knew it was her fear ruling her. She suddenly liked the idea of someone going after the mean people. The thought sent her into tears.

Edward jumped up from the table and came over to hug her. He whispered into her ear as he tried to get her focused back onto the case. "I don't think the surveillance system is used in the rooms. I hacked in and I'm copying whatever she films. I think it only films a spot in the forest."

"For what?" she whispered back.

"I don't know yet, but tomorrow I'll know more about the room and if we are being watched."

Bella wasn't sure if she wanted to hear they were secure in the room. She liked Edward treating her like his wife and knew she would miss his attention. She hugged him tightly and then let him get back to work. She climbed on the bed and opened her laptop. She was typing furiously and suddenly noticed Edward looking at her.

He was dying to get a peek at the story and knew she would never agree until she got some feedback online. He was fascinated by her and could watch her work for hours. Her lips pursed a bit and she stared with interest at the words she was writing. When she looked at him he could see the fear in her eyes.

"You seemed to have found your muse," he teased.

"Are you still going to La Push?" she asked. She wanted to write without interruption and didn't feel comfortable when he was only a few feet from her. She was writing about high school, when she felt awkward and self conscious. She didn't have a brother or sister to pave the way for her. She had to navigate the scary world of boys and dating alone. She could only imagine how it would have been to meet a mysterious vampire at such an awkward stage and have him make the world smooth and romantic for her.

"Let's get out of this room and go to the beach. We can take some sub sandwiches and have a picnic," Edward suggested and she smiled, a picnic sounded perfect.

They both changed into swimsuits and clothes for the beach and stopped off at the diner to get some food to go. Angela came to speak to them and told them where the best spots were. Edward excused himself and headed to the restroom so Bella questioned Angela further. "Why do you think Victoria uses a wheelchair if she can walk?"

"I think it gives her a story to tell," Angela said with disgust. "Her guests seem to stick around and talk with her if they feel she is lonely. I'm happy to see you and Edward are getting out and doing things."

"She is really into FanNet," Bella said with a laugh.

"Yeah, so am I," Angela admitted. "I've written a few stories."

"Really, can you give me some pointers? I'm working on a story, but it is so scary to actually load it."

"Just remember you can't please everyone. I got some really harsh reviews at first, but I tried to learn something from them."

"What did you learn?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"I learned if you do something to please one person, you piss off someone else. You have to be true to yourself and tell the rest of the world to suck it," Angela said and Bella laughed loudly. She seemed so sweet and her advice surprised Bella.

"Do you respond to your reviewers?" Bella asked.

"Sometimes, you can meet some really interesting people, but you can also meet some really scary people. I had one woman ask me to send her some of my hair in an envelope."

"Did you?" Bella asked with wide eyes.

"NO," Angela said emphatically and smiled at Edward when he walked up.

"I would love to read your stories," Bella said and Angela promised to write down the names and have them ready the next time Bella came in.

They took their food and left. Edward drove to a secluded spot Angela had mentioned as Bella filled him in on what she found out about Victoria. He couldn't imagine her needing attention as a reason for the wheelchair. His instincts told him it had something to do with the camera positioned on the woods.

The beach was beautiful with large crashing waves. They spread a blanket on the sand in a small cave to keep the sun from burning them. Edward opened his beer and Bella shook her head when he offered it to her. She was focused on her story and kept going over possible story lines and character development. Edward got tired of her silence and finally reached over to knock her arms out from under her.

"Hey," she yelled and looked over at him.

"Talk to me, I'm bored," he said with a smile.

"Get a wheelchair," she teased him.

He laid back on the blanket and put his arms behind his head. "Kiss me," he suggested.

"There's nobody watching," she reminded him and he only shrugged.

"Call it practice," he said and smiled a sexy grin that made her heart race.

"I'm working on my story," she said and looked back at the ocean.

He finally sat up and moved her hair off her shoulder and leaned in to speak in her ear. "Tell me what it's about and maybe I can help."

"It's about teenage girls," she said and felt chills run down her spine when he kissed her neck.

"I just happen to be an expert on teenage girls," he said softly and his tongue ran very lightly up to her ear.

"Does the bureau know," she said in an attempt to remind him they were partners on a case but he didn't seem bothered.

"It will be our secret," he whispered and she inhaled a quick shallow breath. She turned her face toward him and his hand moved to hold her cheek gently in his palm. His lips moved over hers almost like a feather and he said with his hot breath, "Kiss me."

She leaned in just a bit and lightly added pressure to his mouth, but he backed away. Her mouth followed his and he let his body fall back onto the blanket, bringing her with him. Her legs were at the side of his body and her top torso was over his. Both of his hands held her face and he kissed her without hesitation.

She loved the way he kissed, the perfect blend of soft and urgent, building as she struggled to keep her wits about her. He realized at that moment he was out of control. There was nothing he could do to stop himself from rolling over onto her and running his hand down her body. She was athletic and had a hard body with the perfect curves to taunt him.

"God, Bella," he moaned without control of his mouth.

Her knee rose to the side of him and he settled his body between her legs. Every alarm in his brain was going off but he couldn't stop himself. It wasn't a body giving him the excitement he was craving, it was Bella; something about her specifically caused him to lose it.

He wanted her, all of her, and at the same time wanted her to stop him. His cries were not of ecstasy but of pain, the pain of losing control and knowing he would hate himself for it. She finally pulled from his mouth to see the grimace on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said and tried to push him away. He kept her attached to him and let his head fall to her neck as she took deep breaths.

"Don't be. You are so sexy Bella, it makes me forget this is a case," he said and refused to look at her. He was taking a big leap and she didn't realize what his confession meant.

"You don't have to say I'm sexy," she said, believing he was trying to stop things without hurting her feelings in the process.

His head snapped up and he looked at her in earnest. "Are you kidding me, I'm panting all over you and can't force myself to stop," he admitted.

"Maybe we should pull out the food," she offered and he rolled to the side of her and began rubbing his eyes with his palms. She pulled the cooler closer and took a sub sandwich out and handed it to him, then opened a bag of chips and held one to his mouth. He looked at her as he opened his mouth and let his tongue pull the chip in to eat.

"Edward, are you trying to seduce me, or is all of this natural for you?" she asked and hoped it didn't hurt his feelings. She wondered if all the cases he worked made him conscious of every action or if he was just a naturally romantic guy.

"It's this damn town," he said with his head down and suddenly became very interested in his sandwich. She had no idea what he meant and decided not to ask.

Edward was used to being in large cities, like Chicago where he was raised. Forks felt like it had stopped in time and everything here was far from the real world. It felt disconnected to his life and he was experiencing feelings he had pushed to the recesses of his mind.

Bella reached for a beer and he watched the long line of her body stretch for the bottle. She opened it and brought it to her lips, wrapping them around the bottle. His finger moved unconsciously to her exposed skin on her thigh and ran along the edge of her shorts.

She looked down and then over at him and smiled. He felt unable to control himself, almost as if he had been drugged, and his body needed her with a passion he had never experienced. He suddenly sat up and looked at her with a mixture of shock and fear.

"Bella, what have I eaten or drank that you haven't?" he asked quickly.

She thought back to this morning when he brought the toast and coffee to the room. She ate the toast when he sent her downstairs to join the conversation, but she had left the coffee. "I didn't drink the coffee this morning," she said.

"Shit," he yelled and jumped up. "I've been drugged."

"With what?" she asked, terrified he was going to go into convulsions or something.

"Some sort of stimulant, like Viagra or Cialis," he said and headed to the cold water to see if it would make a difference as Bella tried desperately not to laugh.

6

They returned to the Inn late in the afternoon and Bella made it a point to stay far from Edward and not stimulate him in any way. He was embarrassed and completely pissed. It took all he had to keep from yelling at Victoria when he caught sight of her. If he had been drugged they couldn't figure out the purpose, unless Victoria was suspicious of them.

Edward showered and changed before heading to La Push for a game of poker. He didn't speak much to Bella and she planned to tell the others they had a fight. In reality she was a bit depressed that his interest in her had been the result of drugs.

Bella sat in the parlor for inspiration and continued writing her story; she had the first chapter done but kept fine tuning it, changing words and phrases that didn't quite seem right. Each time she read over the chapter she changed something.

Victoria came into the room and rolled her chair across from where Bella sat. "Are you writing?" she asked with curious eyes.

"Yes, but it just doesn't feel quite right," Bella sighed.

"Do you want me to read it and see what I think?" Victoria asked.

"I'm afraid you won't tell me the truth," Bella said.

"Sure I will," she promised. "I'll be honest without being hateful. I just hate it when people take jabs at authors."

"Okay, it is all fiction, so tell me if it lacks feeling or believability," Bella lied. "It is about a girl in Arizona who falls for the wrong boy. He breaks her heart so she turns to a bad boy for validation, only to realize she was hurting herself not the boys. It is called, Spring Heat."

Victoria smiled and took the laptop and began reading. "Wow," she said as she read and Bella felt like she was tied in knots.

When Victoria finished reading she looked up at Bella and smiled. "I think it is perfect. You can feel the sorrow the character feels and the disappointment that the boy wasn't the one. Is the bad boy a Vampire?"

"Yes, he sucks the blood out of her, metaphorically," Bella blushed.

"I think in the next chapter it would be nice to add a bit of his back story so we get a sense of who he is and we can cheer for him or scream when she is with him," Victoria suggested.

"Thanks," Bella said genuinely. "I wasn't sure what the next chapter should be about and that really helps."

"You have a great start, are you going to load it now?"

"No, I want to finish it before I load it," Bella said and Victoria nodded. "This is a great atmosphere to write in. You must love this place."

Victoria smiled as she nodded emphatically. "I wanted to be surrounded by the characters in the book at all times, you know, live in the world they lived in."

"Do you mind if I ask what put you in a wheelchair?" Bella pushed and hoped she hadn't asked too early in their friendship.

"I was in a really abusive relationship," Victoria said and dropped her head. "He broke my back and it is pretty weak. I can walk, but not for too long."

"I'm so sorry, is he in jail?" Bella asked.

"No, I never told anyone what happened."

"Why?" Bella asked with a shocked voice. She couldn't imagine a man beating her and letting it slide.

"He made it up to me," Victoria said and then changed the subject to Edward. "Where's your husband?"

"He went to La Push for a poker game," Bella said and tried to act angry about it.

Victoria scrunched up her face and gave a disgusted tisk. "Those men are so misogynistic. They run around together as if they were a pack of dogs or something. I wouldn't let my husband associate with them if I were you."

"Really?" Bella said and sounded concerned. "I'm worried about Edward's gambling. He says it gives him something to do because I read too much."

"Gambling only leaves you broke, FanNet opens you up to the world. There are so many amazing people out there, and I grow to really love them."

"And some really mean ones," Bella added and watched Victoria's chin set in anger.

"Well, Karma gives them what they deserve, the stupid little bitches. They think they are so educated and every story should meet their expectations. Most of them can't even form a correct sentence, but the ones who try to pontificate with their brilliance sicken me. Casting dispersions is easy, but let's see them write a fucking story for the entire world to see. If you don't like a storyline, move the hell on, it isn't like there are a limited amount of stories to choose from."

"Do you ever bash with them?" Bella asked and there was a part of her soul which really hoped Victoria told them where to stick it.

"No, they want attention so I refuse to give it to them. But, it all works out in the end," she said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked and leaned forward to encourage her to share.

"If you act like a dirty rat, you'll be treated like one. Life will set a trap and catch you with a snap of your neck," she laughed and Bella tried to smile without shaking.

"You think a bad review makes someone deserving of death?"

"I think FanNet shows your character. People who love the human race can find something nice and encouraging to say about any story, but those who talk shit are the scum we don't need to continue polluting the gene pool."

"I agree," Bella said and pushed a bit further. "Too bad they live all over the world and you can't know who they are."

"See, that is where you are wrong," Victoria said. "They think they are anonymous, hiding behind their screen names. But the web is simply a code the ignorant can't figure out."

"Well, if someone says something hateful about my story, you'll have to show me how to find them," Bella laughed but Victoria gave her a warning glare.

"I'm talking theoretically," Victoria said angrily.

"Damn, now I'm afraid to load it again," Bella teased and hoped Victoria didn't become too suspicious.

The woman smiled from her wheelchair and began to leave the room. "Your story is really good, I doubt it will get a bad review."

"Thank you, it means a lot coming from you," Bella said honestly.

She worked on chapter two most of the night and waited for Edward to come back. It was almost two in the morning when she heard him coming up the stairs. She ran to the door and opened it just as he reached for the knob.

"Whoa," he said and swayed as the door opened before him.

"Are you drunk?" Bella asked and felt the anger a real wife would feel.

"Totally, completely, and irrevocably," he answered and gave her a sly grin as he walked past her and held onto the wall for support.

"You drove drunk?" she asked and was really ready to tear into him.

"No, my new buddies brought me home. Jacob Black is a very nice man, he's very broke now, but still a nice man," he smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You won?" she asked.

He laughed, and it sounded like a schoolgirl giggle as he held his finger to his lips and said, "Shhh, I always win."

"Do you cheat, Edward?"

"I'm an accountant with a good memory for numbers, love. Intelligence is not cheating," he said and then fell back onto the bed in laughter.

She walked over to take off his shoes and pants and he grabbed her hands when she reached for his belt buckle. She wasn't sure if he wanted to remove his jeans with his own hands or if he wanted to sleep in them. "Take off your pants," she told him and he shook his head.

"No, I can't. They have to stay on because I want her too badly," he slurred and let his eyes shut. "I wasn't drugged, she's just too pretty. She doesn't know what she does to me; it's not on purpose, so I can't be mad at her."

"Are you talking about Bella," she asked softly and really hoped he was.

"My wife," he whispered.

"Edward, wake up, you have to get in bed," she said loudly and pulled on his arm. He moved onto his knees and waited for her to turn down the bed before falling on his side into the sheets. She pushed his shoulders so he moved onto his back and she began taking off his jeans again. This time he kept his eyes closed and allowed her to get him down to just his boxers.

She shut off the light and climbed into bed and looked over to see him staring at her. "Do you need anything?" she asked.

"I need you to be real," he said with sad eyes.

"I'm real, I'm your partner," she told him as a reminder.

"I don't want to be your partner, I want to be your man," he whispered. He was talking from his heart but she only heard a drunken man rambling in the dark. She wanted to believe he could love her someday and she trusted him with her life, she just wasn't sure she could trust him with her heart.

"Go to sleep," she said and ran her fingers through his hair until he was breathing deeply.

Bella turned over and thought about her story, it was commanding all of her attention and the case was only a footnote. She pictured Edward as the romantic lead in her story, the man who consumed her heart and soul. Her last boyfriend had made her so many promises, just like he did with the girl he cheated on her with. But, Bella wasn't naïve anymore and she knew how to protect her heart this time.

It was early when she snuck from the room and went back into the parlor to write. She was now on chapter four and felt more confident with how the story was going to progress. Victoria came in, sitting in her wheelchair and smiled at Bella.

"You seem to be enjoying the role of author," she said and Bella laughed.

"It is a really weird experience," Bella admitted. "The characters take on a life of their own. When I read back over my words I don't even remember writing some of them. It isn't me speaking but the characters."

"Some authors have told me they dream about the story and that is how they know which way to move it along," Victoria said.

"It makes me feel even more protective of the story, not as an author, but as the caretaker of the characters, does that make sense?" Bella asked.

"Yes, and it proves how vindictive the flamers are. Are you going to start loading it?"

"Maybe tonight, I keep promising myself I will when I finish six chapters."

"Wow, you write really fast," Victoria said with wide eyes.

"Only because I have so much free time right now, when I get back to work it will go much slower."

"Where do you work?" Victoria asked.

"A small design firm, we make letterhead graphics and logo designs."

Victoria opened her mouth to say something but Lauren walked into the room to interrupt her. Bella was so grateful and promised herself she would look into exactly what the fake job entailed, so she wouldn't be caught off guard.

The two women left the room so Bella could continue to write. She was uninterrupted for over an hour when she heard someone say hello to Edward. She jumped off the sofa and ran into the dining room to see him pouring a cup of coffee.

"Hi, honey," she said and took the pot from his hand. "Let me get that for you."

"Thanks," he said softly.

"Do you need some aspirin?" she asked with a quiet voice.

"I took some," he said and shut his eyes as he drank from the cup. He wanted to ask her if anything happened he should be aware of, but the pain in his head kept him from it.

"Can you eat anything?" Bella asked and helped him to a chair.

"Not right now. How did I get home?" he asked.

"You said someone named Jacob Black brought you."

He nodded with remembrance and finally looked at Bella. "Are we good?" he asked.

She smiled and reached out to take his hand, "Yeah, of course. You wore a condom."

His eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open causing her to laugh loudly. He groaned and held his head in his hand as she continued to laugh. He didn't tell her it would have killed him to know he made love to her in a drunken state. It wasn't his performance that would have hurt so much, but the fact he wouldn't remember.

"Why don't you go back to bed and sleep it off while I write," she suggested.

"If you write about last night, make me virile," he said as he stood. Bella stood and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He sighed and let his head fall to hers and took a deep breath.

"I was right about the camera, the house is clear," he said, thinking her action was only for the case.

"I know, you just looked like you needed a hug," she said and looked up at his bloodshot eyes. He looked back and leaned over to kiss her lightly. Her hands moved to his butt and she gave him a playful squeeze and they both smiled widely.

"Put that in your story," he said and wiggled his eyebrows.

She swatted him and finally let go so he could make his way slowly up the stairs. She watched him as he climbed and couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he was really her man. Her mouth was in an unconscious grin and she sighed lightly as she turned to go back to her writing. Her eyes caught Victoria watching her and an eerie shiver ran through her body.


	3. Chapter 7 thru 9

_The small dog was pulling on the leash as she made the difficult walk around the park. Her knees ached and her legs were rubbing uncomfortably together as she was forced to breathe out of her mouth to make it up the incline. The doctor warned her to lose weight or her heart would give out someday._

_She was in a bad mood, caused by her favorite story being pulled from FanNet before it was finished. The author apologized but life was pulling her in another direction and she couldn't find the time to finish the story. She didn't tell the readers she had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to spend as much time with family as possible._

_The small dog barked at the thick brush on the side of the trail, but the woman jerked on the leash and pulled the dog back to the walkway. As soon as she passed the brush a shadow stepped onto the trail behind her._

_Her anger over the pulled story caused her to lash out at a young girl trying her hand at writing for the first time. "This makes no sense and is horribly written; I wasted five minutes of my life I will never get back. I am five minutes closer to death all because of this awful story."_

_The dog turned and ran toward the stranger who bent down to greet the puppy. Gloved hands made their way around the dog's neck and with one quick jolt it fell lifeless to the ground. The large woman stared in fright as she grabbed her chest and tried to yell out for help. _

_A timer was pulled from the stranger's pocket and set for five minutes. She fell onto her knees and rolled onto her back watching in horror as a large knife sunk deeply into her flesh, opening her gelatinous middle just enough for the timer to sink into the blood and fat. _

_Her heart was racing wildly, refusing to keep a normal rhythm as the timer ticked loudly. The stranger stayed until the bell rang from inside the woman and then whispered, "You got the five minutes back." The knife raised high into the air and came down into the struggling heart. It stopped its wild racing and lay still._

Edward was sleeping soundly when his phone rang. It didn't wake him until the third ring and he answered painfully. "Yeah," he whispered, "Oh Jesus."

Bella had just gotten out of the shower and walked into the room in only a towel to listen to Edward's conversation. He rubbed his face roughly as he listened and finally said, "We'll step it up a bit. I'll text you when we're ready tonight." He hung up and put the phone back on the bed table.

"Another one?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, female, thirty six, Australia," he answered.

"Australia," she gasped. "It means there is more than one killer. Nobody can get from Florida to Australia so fast."

"Right, a man was spotted in the area, but nobody had a very clear description. You need to load your story and the bureau will set up an agent as a target. We need to end this quickly now. The deaths are coming quicker, have you read, Practice makes Pain?"

Bella shook her head and sat next to him on the bed in stunned silence, forgetting she was only in a towel. He looked over at her and smiled at her dripping hair. "You look beautiful," he said softly and then stuck out his tongue and gagged, feeling like his mouth was full of cotton. She laughed and grabbed a water bottle out of the mini bar.

He headed into the bathroom and took a shower and cleaned out his mouth. He returned in a towel and Bella was now dressed. "Are you hungry?" she asked him.

"Starved, what time is it?" he asked and pulled on his boxers under the towel.

"It's one thirty."

He groaned and knew he would be up most of the night because of sleeping so long. He didn't bother shaving and threw on some clothes so they could head out to get some food. The fresh air did wonders for his head and he began to feel much better.

Bella was surprised when he passed the diner and pulled up to a pizza parlor. "Are we trying to keep from being predictable?" she asked him, trying to understand the right way to do things.

He chuckled and opened his door, "No, I just have a craving."

"Can we get pineapple on our Pizza?" she asked with a big smile.

"Hell no, if you want fruit go to the produce department at a grocery store," he said and he held out his hand for her to take. When they sat at a secluded booth in the back he kept her hand in his and brought up the story. "How's the writing coming?"

She looked away from his eyes quickly, telling him loudly he was making an appearance in the story. He was suddenly anxious to get home and read what she had written. After an awkward silence, which he refused to fill, she finally said, "It's really fun to write and use my imagination, but I feel sick at the thought of someone reading it. It feels like it is a part of me that I have to expose to the world. Ideas are personal and I can imagine how much it must hurt to have them criticized."

"Why don't you ignore the comments, don't even look," he suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," she said softly.

"Can I read it?" he asked and leaned over as he tried to see her eyes.

"You wouldn't get it, you haven't read the original book," she said hoping to persuade him to lose interest.

"If it is a part of you, I want to read it."

She looked at her hand in his and tried to find the easiest way to say what she wanted to say. There had to be a way to explain the story and how it pertained to her life without making him see how much she fanaticized about him.

"I was dating a man who cheated on me, a lot. I believed his excuses and his lies, I feel stupid now, but I didn't know any better back then. I wrote about it, and then this perfect man comes into her life and teaches her to believe in love again."

"Have you stopped believing in love?" he asked and she was spared by the waitress who walked up at that moment.

"Hi," the young lady said, mostly to Edward.

"Hi, we'll take a large with hamburger, sausage, and Canadian bacon," he said and Bella gasped. "Oh, yeah, throw some pineapple on a few slices."

"Thanks," Bella laughed. "Can we have a pitcher of diet Pepsi?"

"How about diet Coke?" the girls asked, again mostly to Edward.

"Is that okay, love?" he asked Bella and the young lady glanced hatefully at her.

"Sure," Bella smiled and when the girl walked off she laughed and shook her head. "God, you're wearing a wedding ring, is she blind? Maybe you really are an expert at teenage girls."

"I just hope she doesn't drug my soda," he teased and Bella kicked him under the table. "Actually," he said as his tone turned serious. "I think it is you that is like a drug for me."

"Are you trying to butter me up so you can gamble again tonight?" Bella said nervously.

"My liver needs a rest," he said and continued to look into her eyes as he kept hold of her hand.

Bella was getting anxious and wondered if he came to the pizza place so they could have privacy in the back booth. She was terrified to have this conversation, because she did have feelings for him, but she didn't know enough about his dating history to know if she could trust him. There was also the possibility he was testing her as a senior agent to see if she could keep her wits about her if a coworker expressed interest.

"I found out some stuff about Victoria last night," he said, sensing how uncomfortable she was when he tried to tell her how he felt. It was not very professional of him to fall for a junior agent in his charge, but he had never been in love before and the emotion was overwhelming for him.

"She told me she is in the wheelchair because an old boyfriend broke her back," Bella told him since he was focusing back on the case.

"I was told she dated some beatnik who was into steroids and theft, so it fits," Edward said.

"Did you get a name?"

"No, did you?" he asked.

"No, she was a bit cryptic and said he did something for her to make up for putting her in a chair. Do you think murder would be the 'thing' he did?"

"I'll send off the info and see what they can come up with at Langley."

The young woman brought the drinks and Edward reached over to switch glasses with Bella before taking a sip. She laughed and took a drink of her glass before running her hands over her body and saying, "God, I want you."

Edward stuck his straw in the pitcher and sucked up some soda before pointing it at Bella. She quickly leaned over to put her mouth on the end of the straw, sucking hard to remove the liquid before he could spit it at her.

"That was hot," he laughed and she felt her face flush.

They were quiet for a moment and Bella finally asked, "Tell me about your new sister-in-law."

Edward let his head fall and groaned in despair. He had no idea how to describe Rosalie Hale, and even less of a desire to give it any thought of all. He didn't like Rose, she was rude, and egotistical, and Emmett worshiped her, causing Edward to believe she must be very good in bed. It was the only reason he could fathom his brother would give her a ring.

"My brother is big and dumb," he started and Bella smacked his hand. "He was really into sports and now works as a marketing executive for the Chicago Bears. Rosalie was a Dallas Cheerleader and I think her boots were a bit too tight because bitch doesn't begin to describe her."

"Edward, she's going to be family," Bella pointed out.

"I know, imagine my excitement," he said dryly and Bella laughed.

"Is your sister involved with anyone?" Bella asked.

"Yes, my best friend, Jasper Whitlock. Now he's a prince and would be welcomed into the family with open arms."

"What does he do?"

"He's getting his PhD in History. I really hope you can meet him someday," Edward said with a smile and Bella nodded. It would be normal to meet your partner's best friend, so she didn't feel hesitant about agreeing.

"In fact," Edward continued. "You could come with me to the wedding in October and meet my entire family."

"To Chicago?" she asked and tried to make it seem like it was the location that was a problem not the meeting of his family.

"Have you been there before?" he asked and she noticed how he became so excited at the prospect of showing her around his city.

"No, I've been to St. Louis, but never Chicago," she said and he laughed at the inference that all Midwestern cities were the same.

"You have to come, we'll have a ball," he said and waited for her to agree.

"I don't want to crash a wedding," she said feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. His smile fell and he stared at her until she finally looked up.

"You wouldn't be crashing, you would be my date," he said with a hint of anger. He wasn't sure how much more obvious he could be. He was telling her every way he could think of that he was interested in her, but she continued to dance around the subject.

The young lady returned and set the breadsticks on the table. Edward sighed angrily and sat back on the seat as he folded his arms in front of him. Bella picked up a breadstick and quickly took a bite. She did her best to appear distracted but his staring was too obvious. She finally sat the bread down and let out a loud breath before looking back at his eyes.

"Why are you mad?" she said accusingly.

"Why are you trying to be so dense?" he tossed back.

"It's complicated," she said as her voice began to shake and she tried to keep her tears from filling her eyes.

"Are you with someone?" he asked and prayed her answer was no.

"I've had one serious relationship, Edward. And the guy broke my heart. I don't want to go through that again, do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked and hoped he did, because she didn't have a clue.

"You're saying you trusted the wrong man, I'm the right man," he said forcefully.

"He told me that, too," she pointed out.

"So tell me this, what is it I am feeling from you when you kiss me?" He knew he wasn't imagining her response to him. She could say whatever she wanted, but he could feel her desire for him when he touched her.

"Um…I'm trying to…um…you know, make this seem believable," she said and he put up his hand to stop her from speaking. He wasn't sure if it was rejection he didn't want to hear, or her lies.

The pizza arrived and they both ate in silence. He was trying to come up with some way to make her admit she had feelings for him and she was trying to find a way to let her heart believe in him, because she knew deep inside how much she loved Edward Cullen.

He finished two slices of pizza and excused himself to go to the restroom. Bella watched him walk away and felt such a sense of loss. It hurt to have him walk away just to use a restroom, she couldn't imagine having him walk away for good. She jumped from the booth and ran to the door with _Uomo_ written on it. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door and walked inside.

If she would have thought it through better she would have waited for a few moments to give Edward time to finish urinating. Instead she walked in to find him standing at the urinal with a full stream going. He glanced over his shoulder and jumped when he saw Bella behind him.

He moved closer to the porcelain as he tried to hide himself, unable to stop. "Shit, Bella," he yelled. "I'm busy here."

"I just want to tell you I'm not being dense. I know what you're saying to me and I feel it too, I just don't know if it is the right thing to do. I mean, you're my senior and it is your job to play people, so how do I know you're not playing me now? It is really scary for me, and if we don't work out can we still work together, or does it mean…"

"Bella," Edward said loudly to interrupt her. "Do you think we can talk about this back at the table?"

"Oh," she said and turned quickly to leave. "Sorry."

She walked back to the table in humiliation and dreaded having him return to the booth. She didn't know if he would tease her or be angry for the intrusion. His reaction surprised her. He walked to her side of the booth and pulled the slice of pizza from her hand and tossed it back onto the pan before holding her face with both of his hands and kissed her passionately.

She pulled back and looked at his eyes with tears. "Edward, don't hurt me, please," she begged.

"Never," he promised. "I'm not the kind of guy who takes relationships lightly."

"Will this change our partnership?" she asked and he smiled softly.

"You just gained a lot more power," he teased and leaned over to kiss her softly. She moved to the edge of the booth and stood motioning for the waitress to come to their table. The girl walked up and acted irritated.

"Can we get the rest of the pizza to go?" Bella asked and handed the girl some cash. She returned with a box and some change so Edward packed up the leftovers and followed Bella out the door. She got into the driver's seat and let him eat another slice as she drove back to Chez Fang.

Edward wasn't quite sure what Bella had in mind, but he was intrigued. She seemed settled on something and determined to act on it. When they entered the room she took the box and sat it on the table before turning back to Edward.

She raised her palms up and shrugged, "I'm yours, my heart, my body, my everything."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as he pressed his body into hers and pulled her hips tightly to his. Just as she reached under his shirt his phone rang. He didn't pull away immediately, but when he looked at the phone he stepped away from her to answer.

Edward didn't talk much and Bella worried another body had been found. He finally hung up and said, "You need to load a chapter of your story now." His voice was strange and she felt fear in her heart.

"Was that the bureau?" she asked.

"Yes, Tanya is the decoy," he said and walked away.

8

Bella ran after him, stunned by the news he had just given her. He told her Tanya had retired and decided to have a family. How could she be the decoy? "Tanya is still an agent?" she asked.

"I guess so, seems like she was promoted instead of retired," Edward said with venom.

Bella watched his face and could tell he was worried. The decoy would be in a lot of danger and she could tell he didn't like the fact it was going to be Tanya.

"I can't get your trainer hurt," she said softly and he finally looked directly into her eyes.

"She wasn't my trainer, she was my second partner," he stated.

"Did you ever have a case where she was your wife?" Bella asked and felt her heart sink when he hesitated a moment.

"Just one," he finally said as he looked down at the ground.

"Edward," Bella called to him, knowing her question was totally out of line but she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Did you have sex with her?"

This time he refused to answer, but he didn't need to, his eyes told Bella everything she needed to know. She turned and walked from the room, heading to the parlor to load the first chapter of her story. Her hands were shaking and she felt like the character in the story, fooled by the handsome vampire she desperately wanted to be her knight.

When she finished working her way through the loading process Edward walked into the room. He was in a pair of sweats and running shoes. She wasn't sure she was up for a run, but she really wanted him to ask her to go with him.

"Are you running?" she asked when he remained on the far side of the room.

"No, I'm going to La Push," he said with a tight jaw.

"Should I expect you showing up drunk in the early hours of the morning?" she asked angrily and with a loud voice.

"Don't expect me at all," he said and walked away.

Bella was confused. She didn't know if he was staging a fight or if they were actually having one. She saw Victoria roll past the doorway and give her a sad look. It sent Bella running from her spot and out the door. Edward had backed the car up and turned to head down the twisted lane when Bella yelled his name and ran after him. The car accelerated and she continued to run and yell for him. Just as he was about to go around the first turn the car suddenly stopped.

Bella ran for the passenger side and jumped in, breathing heavily. "Don't go," she managed to say between loud breaths.

Edward let his head drop and he waited shamefully for her to say something. He expected the worst but hoped for the best. The night with Tanya was not anything close to what he wanted with Bella. Tanya was older and they had spent so many hours acting like they were lovers it kind of spilled over.

"It doesn't matter, Edward. We both have a past, it doesn't matter," she said and watched him carefully for a reaction.

He kept his head down but turned to look at her. "I would have told you, eventually," he confessed.

She nodded and tried to look convincingly. "Don't go to La Push and drink just because I'm being all female," she pleaded and his mouth formed a slight smile.

"Jacob thinks he can find the place on the video. He knows the woods like the back of his hand and I think…"

"What?" Bella said with a harsh tone.

Edward stopped talking and looked at her with surprise. He could tell she was so angry and just barely holding onto her composure. "You're working the case without me?" she asked softly.

"No, you're loading the story and talking to Victoria. This part is dangerous and I…"

"Are you kidding me," she screamed loudly. "I'm your partner, not Jacob. If something happened to you am I supposed to tell Winston I had no idea what you were doing because it was dangerous? Are you seriously cutting me out because it might be dangerous?"

She opened the car door and got out before leaning over to say, "I bet you wouldn't cut Tanya out of the case." Then she slammed the door as hard as she could.

Edward jumped out of his side of the car and ran to catch up with Bella's quick steps. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. "Don't you dare assume you know anything about my relationship with Tanya. She was my senior partner, period," he yelled.

"Oh I see, it is an agency policy to fuck your senior. Well, damn Edward, you should have told me right off the bat and I would have rushed right over to your apartment."

"It was a case," he screamed right up in her face. "I never cared for her, like I do you."

"I'm your partner, Edward," she yelled back. "Do you have any idea how it feels to find out your working the case without me?"

He backed up and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at her with an anguished face. "I can't do this," he finally said barely above a whisper. "I can't feel what I feel for you and then put you in danger."

"I chose this," she said as tears filled her eyes. "This is what I want to do for as long as I am able to do it, please, don't take it away from me."

"I can get you reassigned," he offered.

"No, you get reassigned," she said angrily. She hated the idea of losing him as a partner but she didn't want her file stating she had to be reassigned on her second case. She wanted to see this through, and it was Edward having a problem with it, not her.

"Look, let's just finish the case and then talk about…things," Edward said and began walking back to the car.

She watched him and just when he opened the door and looked back at her she said, "Are you coming home tonight?"

He gave her a chuckle and climbed in the car. She had no idea what it meant and she watched as he drove around the turn and out of sight. The house seemed further away for some reason and as she walked she felt like she was being watched. She looked deeply into the woods for any sign of movement but saw nothing.

When she walked through the door Victoria was waiting for her. "Are you and Edward having a fight?" Victoria asked.

"It's nothing. Men are just…."

"Bastards," Victoria said with a laugh.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Bella asked her, hoping she would be able to gain some insight that would help the case.

"No, I'm happy alone. I run this place and read FanNet, so my life is pretty full."

"Are you really that into FanNet?" Bella asked and Victoria looked at her warily.

"Just wait Bella," she said as she turned her chair around. "You'll see how addictive it becomes."

Bella watched her wheel down the hallway and then went back into the parlor to see if anyone had responded to her story. She had five reviews, each one positive and encouraging her to continue writing. She felt exhilarated, and a bit embarrassed by how much the comments meant to her. She pulled her laptop onto her thighs and began working on another chapter as she cheeked the reviews throughout the night.

Time ceased to matter and she delved deeper and deeper into her story. Her passion for the characters was growing quickly and the thoughts were coming faster than she could type. It was after midnight when she received the first cold review. It wasn't mean, just not as encouraging as the others had been. It read, _Is this going to be another cliché boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds better boy?_

Bella stared at the comment a felt her confidence wane a bit. She wasn't trying to be cliché and nobody else found the story that way. She wondered for a moment if Tanya had written the comment, trying to be obstinate and setting up her character. The clock chimed one time and Bella realized how late it was. She shut the laptop and headed up the stairs when the door opened and Edward walked in.

He looked up and saw Bella staring at him. He smiled and the sight of her smiling back warmed his heart. "Did you wait up?" he asked.

She blushed a bit and wished she could tell him yes, but the truth was she never thought about him once all night. "I was writing, I guess the time got away from me," she confessed.

He nodded and followed her up the stairs and into their room. Only then did she ask the question she wanted answered. "Did Jacob find the spot?"

"Yeah, I'll show you tomorrow," he said and looked away. She watched as he pulled off his shirt and headed into the bathroom. Bella changed into a nightshirt and waited for Edward to return so she could brush her teeth. He came out with just a towel and when she passed him she noticed he seemed a bit nervous.

She hoped he would be in bed when she returned so she could climb in and go right to sleep. The last thing she felt like doing was talking about their issues or even the case. The only thing on her mind was her story.

She walked back into the room to find Edward sitting on the side of the bed. He seemed hesitant to climb in so she walked to the other side, which he usually used, and climbed in. He turned to look at her and said, "Bella, can we talk?"

"No, Edward, I'm tired. Can't we talk later?"

Edward got up and turned off the light as Bella turned to her side, away from him. He lay on his back for a few moments and finally turned to snuggle up behind her, placing his arm over her body. She scooted back until her body lined up with his and pulled his arm to her chest to hold it tightly. He placed his forehead on her shoulder and drifted off to sleep. It wasn't him she dreamed of; it was the character in her story. She knew that man better than the man holding her.

_The woman sat in the public library as she logged onto the forum of her FanNet community. She came often and usually fought it out in a battle of wits with the other participants. She had a few 'friends' online. They had never met but they joined forces to mentally beat down other people who dared to disagree with their point of view. It wasn't long held beliefs they fought for, it was the moment of the day, the moment of choosing who they would spew their hate upon. If you were not a regular on the post, you would most likely be the new target._

_Someone was sitting at the table behind her, unnoticed and average in every way. The person was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity. It came when an elderly woman dropped her purse, spilling its contents across the library floor. Everyone turned to look at the red faced lady, except one person, who quickly dropped something in the coffee cup the young woman was hiding on the chair next to her. Nobody noticed the stranger walk slowly from the room, because everyone was staring at the young woman convulsing on the floor._

The phone ringing woke up Edward and Bella, and he sleepily answered as she turned to face him and listened to the conversation. She could tell another murder had been committed and Edward assured the caller they were moving as quickly as possible. When he finally hung up he looked over his shoulder at Bella.

"You're story has gotten a lot of response," he told her.

She felt a bit of pride and wanted him to read it. Maybe he would be able to read between the lines and see her real feelings in the story.

"Has Tanya commented?" she asked.

"I don't know, most likely we will never know," he said and she realized it was stupid of her to ask. Tanya was a ghost agent and they would never be given information regarding her activities.

"So what did Jacob show you," Bella asked. She tried not to sound like a crybaby but it did bother her that Jacob was being treated as a partner.

"There is a complicated system of caves. I think Victoria looks for some sort of signal at the spot the camera watches. Maybe she drops off payment, or possibly the next hit. Her cell phone is clear of calls but it will take time to match up the calls on her business line."

Bella remained lying down and was deep in thought when she noticed Edward watching her. She spoke up and said, "Maybe we need to watch the watch spot."

"I got it taken care of," he offered and she sat up to face him eye to eye.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means you write and I'll watch," he said to explain and when he went to stand she grabbed his arm.

"What in the hell is going on, Edward? We came here on a case and now we hardly even speak to each other." She was very confused and wondered how they moved so quickly from a budding romance to an awkward existence.

He looked at her as he chewed on the side of his mouth for a moment and finally decided to be totally honest. This wasn't like the case he worked with Tanya, this was the woman he wanted as his partner in life, not just at work. "I'm trying not to be chauvinistic, but I hate the fact you are on this case with me. I want you home, at my place, safe and waiting for me with open arms."

Her mouth fell open and she let out a small gasp. His statement was way beyond chauvinistic and she wasn't sure how to respond. He was the senior agent, but it didn't mean he was safer just because he was a man. "I'm good at this," she said softly. "I was first in my class at Quantico. Did you ever think that maybe you need me, not in your bed, but as your partner?"

"I never said you were not a good agent, Bella. Tanya was a woman and I never worried about her. This is more about my personal feelings for you," he admitted and let his head drop so he couldn't see her response if she didn't feel the same.

She moved over next to him on her knees and said, "Edward, let's forget about personal feelings until this case is over. Let's get this solved and go home before we decide about us."

He stared at her for several moments and then admitted the scariest thing of all. He leaned his forehead to hers and spoke very softly, "I want you so badly, I'm not sure I can wait."

"Then we won't wait," she said and leaned in to kiss him.

9

Just as their lips connected there was a loud knock on the door. Bella chuckled when Edward groaned angrily. She walked to the door and opened it to find Victoria sitting in her chair. Her face was pulled into an angry glare and she spoke quickly.

"Did you read your reviews? Someone is trying to stop you from loading anything else. It is just jealousy, Bella, don't let it discourage you."

"I haven't looked at it this morning. Maybe I'll add the next chapter and not read the reviews," she said and Victoria nodded approvingly.

Edward walked to the door and Victoria glared at him. "Oh, you're home," she said as if accusing him of cheating. He gave both women a disgusted look and walked around Victoria's chair to go downstairs for some food.

"Is everything okay?" she asked Bella.

"Yeah, we're fine. He isn't a fan of my new hobby, but he spends most of his time playing cards at home," Bella said and had to admit it felt good to talk about Edward as if he was really her husband.

Victoria left and Bella rushed over to her computer and pulled up FanNet. She was certain it was Tanya who left the message and was a bit curious to see what she wrote. It read, _This story is lame and boring. Either rewrite or stop loading it._

Bella laughed and loaded the next chapter just as another review came onto her story. This one read, _Keep this tripe off the net, it clogs the web with trash and makes it hard to find the good stories._

The user name was different from the first response and Bella stared in confusion. Maybe it was not Tanya but someone who really thought her story sucked. She wished she hadn't loaded the second chapter and worked on it a bit more. She instantly began rewriting the third chapter and was growing frustrated when Edward came back to the room.

"You want coffee?" he asked.

She didn't respond and erased the paragraph she had just typed. "Bella?" he called out.

"Just a minute," she said angrily and began typing again.

He walked over to stand behind her so she quickly looked up and snapped, "Do you have to stand there?"

"No, I don't," he said and went into the bathroom to climb into the shower. Bella worked furiously until noon without noticing Edward had been gone all morning. When he came back to the room to find her still in her pajama's and typing away he walked over and slammed the laptop shut.

"Hey," she yelled and he pulled the computer from her hand.

"No more, get showered and I'll take you to lunch," he said and watched her eyes narrow in anger.

"I am doing my job, Edward. I have to write this story for the case," she reminded him.

"You have to write a story, not the great American novel. It doesn't have to be good, just on the web. I think you are becoming obsessed with this whole issue," he accused her.

She walked angrily to the shower and as she stood under the spray she felt like a failure. She had several positive comments but the negative ones were eating away at her. She knew she could do better, but with her focus on the case, and Edward, she couldn't give one hundred percent to the story when she had so many distractions.

By the time she got out of the shower she was feeling hungry and a bit of cabin fever. Edward was dressed in running gear so she did the same. She had to admit, she really needed a run to clear her head and exercise her stagnant muscles.

They took off together but didn't speak for almost two miles. Edward finally broke his silence, "I think I found a signal."

"A signal," she repeated.

"Yeah, when an extra limb on the bush emerges I think it is a sign for Victoria to meet someone. I just need to find out where she goes, so the next time I see the sign I'll pretend to go to La Push and see if I can follow her."

"At least you are keeping me in the loop," Bella said with a hint of bitterness.

He stopped running and placed his hands on his hips in frustration. "What do you want from me, Bella? If I keep you in the dark you get mad, if I tell you information you get all pissy, what do you want from me?"

She shook her head and stared into the forest as she tried to decide what it was she actually wanted. "This is so messed up," she finally said. "I'm pretending to be your wife, while I'm developing feelings for you, and I'm so damn angry at you for acting like I'm made of glass, but my story is taking over every thought I have. I have no idea what I want from you, because I am falling deeper and deeper into Victoria's world."

"What do you mean?" he asked with worry.

"I mean I'm kind of rooting for her to go get the mean bitches on FanNet," Bella admitted. "I pour my heart and soul into a story and they hide behind their anonymity and lofty judgments to make me feel like shit. I never asked them to critique."

"Isn't a critique just a way to make you a better writer?" he asked dumbly.

"Yeah, if you're a beta or a literary agent, but when you are just another passionate reader, fuck off."

He tried so hard not to laugh and her expression told him his genitals depended on his ability to refrain. He had heard about agents getting too invested in a case, but never one where a fictional story became tantamount to supporting murder.

"How many chapters do you have written?" he asked.

"I had ten, but now I want to rewrite everything," she said sadly.

"Okay, stop where you are and I'll load the chapters for you. I'll tell Winston to have the decoy get vicious and I doubt you will need the whole ten chapters," he offered as if it was a compromise.

"I'm not leaving it unfinished. It isn't fair to the people who kindly read it. I won't do that," she said adamantly.

"Bella, it is a case," he pointed out.

"To me and you, but to the people who care enough to read my story it is much more. They deserve to see it through, no matter how sucky it gets."

"It won't be sucky," Edward said and couldn't stop the smile on his face.

"How do you know, you haven't read it," she said softly and let her head drop so he couldn't see her disappointment.

"You want me to read it?" he asked in shock. "You told me I couldn't since I haven't read the book, and I'm not really into vampire stories."

"Forget it," she said and walked down the road at a quick pace.

Edward ran to catch her and saw tears falling from her eyes. "Bella, I'll read it if you want, just don't expect me to give you a decent review when I don't know what I'm talking about."

"I want you to read it because I wrote it, not because the story is something incredible. I want you to read it and be able to perceive what I'm saying and what I'm not saying…."

"Ah, shit." He stopped walking and ran his fingers through his hair.

Bella swung around and said angrily, "Excuse me?"

"I can't do the whole female analysis. Why don't you tell me what you are trying to say and stop me from going through the torture," he said and turned to walk back to the inn.

"Because putting in some effort is beneath you?" Bella screamed at him.

"No, because I don't have a clue what you mean half the time. How am I going to read between the lines when I don't even understand the damn lines? I don't want to have to figure you out, Bella. Just tell me what I need to know."

"Fine, you scare me. I gave my heart totally one time and it hurt like hell when he walked away. You seem too smooth and too quick to act comfortable. How will I know if it is just part of your skill as an agent or if you really have feelings for me?"

"Because I'm telling you, that's how," he yelled animatedly.

"And I'm telling you why it scares me. Did Tanya have any issues with your acting abilities?" she asked and noticed how his jaw tightened in anger.

"We were working a case," he said without as much emphasis as before.

"And there were cameras in the bedroom so you had to actually have sex?" she asked.

"Don't do this," he said and looked away from her.

"I'm trying to understand where Edward the agent stops and Edward the man begins," she pushed and mentally asked herself if she actually wanted the information or not.

"We spent every moment acting as a couple, it just spilled over, but it was never real for either one of us," he said and his regret was in his face and voice.

She kicked a rock with her shoe and took a couple of deep breaths before saying, "I hate being this person. God, Edward, you don't owe me any explanations. I'm insecure because of my past relationship and everything has been rushed because of this case."

"So, tell me what you want me to do," he said as he walked to stand directly in front of her.

"We need to solve this case, I need to unpack, and then we can see where we are," she said and let her hand talk hold of his t-shirt.

He smiled and pulled her into his arms before saying, "I just might help you unpack."

"Right now, I'd take that over sex," she laughed.

"How about some food?" he asked and took her hand as they walked toward town.

It was in these moments she felt the most connected to him. They were alone and he held her hand as they did something as simple as walking to a restaurant. She felt like he belonged to her and she knew his secrets and his desires.

They entered the diner and Angela smiled at them. "Still in Forks, I see," she said.

"My wife loves Chez Fang, I doubt I'll get her to leave," Edward said with a chuckle.

"You should try a more normal location," Angela suggested. "Victoria is weird."

"I'm growing to like her," Bella said. "She had been really helpful with my story."

"You're writing?" Angela asked excitedly.

"Yeah, nothing too interesting," Bella said and felt herself blush.

Angela tore off a sheet of paper from her order pad and asked Bella to write down the name of her story and her pen name so she could check it out. Edward watched as Bella grew excited over the prospect of someone else reading her story. He wondered if she wasn't getting into it for her own gratification and not for the case.

He also worried about Tanya's ability to cut deeply with her critique. He knew Tanya had a sharp tongue and could be ruthless when she needed to be. She was a great agent because she never let someone else's feelings get it the way. Bella seemed like a nice girl, who would never purposely hurt someone. Edward wasn't sure which would make a better partner.

They ordered their food and Angela left them alone to talk. Edward reached across the table and took her hands in his. Bella smiled and let her thumbs rub gently up and down his flesh. "What were you like in college?" he asked, causing Bella to laugh.

"Stupid," she answered and he gave her a disbelieving tisk. "I met Mike at a party and found out after making out with him he had a girlfriend. I actually dated him as he struggled to make up his mind which one of us he wanted. He said he chose me, which he did, he just never told me he met another girl at the next party."

"What a fool," Edward said. "Not you, him."

"I think we both were."

"So, this good looking professor…."

"Hey, I earned my A's by studying hard and doing extra credit," Bella explained and Edward laughed loudly. "What were you like?" She asked him.

"I was very cool," he said and she laughed, believing he most likely was very cool. "I walked in the shadow of a brother who was a jock and big man on campus. Everyone would ask what sport I played or what fraternity I belong to. I decided to become the man of mystery, you know, remain quiet and let them try to figure me out."

"Did it work?" Bella asked with more laughter.

"I was so mysterious, nobody gave me a second look," he smiled.

"I seriously doubt that," she said. "You could be a mute and you still look the way you do."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't make me say it Cullen, you know you're hot."

"Wow, hot. I thought I was cool," he said and she kicked him after calling him a dork.

He could play it off anyway he wanted, but she knew too many men like Edward. He was cursed with good looks and tried to make people see his skill or character, but he would always be a pretty face first. She appreciated his pretty face, but loved his skill and character.

Angela brought their food and they ate in a comfortable silence, as if they were a real couple who had all day to share their thoughts.


	4. Chapter 10 thru 12

10

When they returned Bella stopped to talk to Victoria and Edward went right to the room. Bella expected him to shower or at least change from his running clothes, but he returned quickly and walked up to kiss Bella on the cheek.

"I'm heading to La Push to play cards," he said and Bella looked at him angrily.

"Don't drink, so you can make it home," she said and tried to keep Victoria from seeing her warning face.

"I can always try," Edward chuckled and walked out the door. Bella continued to watch the door long after he left. She felt his gambling was a habit he had a hard time controlling and she wasn't sure what to do about it. She considered telling Winston, but decided to wait until the case was over and see if his behavior continued.

"Is everything okay?" Victoria asked.

"Oh, yeah, it's fine. I just don't like it when he spends the entire evening playing cards, but to be fair I do spend it reading or writing."

"Five years and no kids?" Victoria pushed and Bella felt a bit of panic. They never discussed this issue in their made up bio and she wasn't sure if Victoria had asked Edward about it.

"We're thinking about it. We married young and had to get on our feet. Now I worry about Edward being ready for the responsibility."

"Like gambling away diaper money?" Victoria said with a sad look on her face.

"Do you have any kids?" Bella asked to put the spotlight on Victoria instead of herself.

"No, I like things simple, and kids are far from simple," she said and turned in her chair to leave.

Bella headed upstairs and pulled her laptop out to work on the story. She had promised herself she wouldn't look at the reviews, but her curiosity got the better of her. She read each one and felt her confidence begin to return. People seemed to like where the story was going and she decided to hold off on the rewrite and add another chapter.

It was dark when she finally took a break and stretched her arms high over her head. She saw Edward's computer lying on his suitcase with the top still slightly open, as if it had been tossed there quickly. Bella jumped up and ran over to open it. It was in sleep mode and as soon as it came back up she saw he was looking at a tape of the spot in the forest.

"Oh God," she said loudly, knowing he was out there somewhere looking for whomever Victoria was going to meet. She grabbed her case and pulled out the fake bottom and retrieved her gun before throwing on a sweatshirt and hiding the weapon in the pocket as she ran from the inn.

Edward never told her exactly where the spot was but she found a small trail and took off into the dark forest. It was eerie and noises seemed to come from every direction. She could smell the ocean breeze and tried to stay low and move stealthily.

A large boulder seemed to come out of nowhere and Bella moved to use it as a cover when she saw a small cavern behind it. She leaned over and looked inside, but it was too dark to see clearly. She turned on a small flashlight and gave it a quick flick to see how deep the cave was. It didn't show her much so she entered and held onto the wall as she moved deeper into the crevasse. She took about five steps before bending down and turning on the flashlight again. A quick movement came from the side and she was knocked to the ground with blinding pain in her head.

She planned on rolling and pulling out her gun, but someone was on top of her, pinning her to the ground as he worked her gun from the shirt pocket. "Don't move, bitch," he said harshly and she held perfectly still.

"Do you think we're stupid?" he asked and she noticed the use of the word 'we'. She kept quiet and held still. "I've been watching your guy for the better part of an hour, how do you think he'll respond when he hears you scream?"

Bella made a vow at that moment she wouldn't scream no matter what he did to her. She couldn't get Edward killed, too. The man pulled her hair harshly causing her head to fall back. He ran his tongue over her face and down her neck to her chest. She was breathing in quick sharp breaths as the thought of being raped ran through her head.

"Victoria's looking for you," she managed to say and he suddenly raised his head and removed his tongue from Bella's flesh.

"Victoria who?" he said with a laugh and Bella remained quiet. It must have scared him just a bit because he pulled Bella up by the hair and moved to the entrance of the cave to look into the forest. The moonlight seemed so bright compared to the darkness of the cave and Bella considered making a run for it.

The man had long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and a muscular body. He leaned out further to look beyond the boulder and Bella pushed him hard, sending him spread eagle onto the forest floor. She ran past him and continued into the thick brush with the sound of footsteps following closely behind.

She expected a gunshot at any moment but it never came. Just as she tried to dodge a large tree she was hit from behind and crashed into the evergreen to the crunching sound of her arm smashing into the hard surface.

The pain caused her to cry out loudly and she had to bite her lip to make herself stop.

Edward heard the cry and knew instantly it was Bella. "Damn it," he said softly and began moving in the direction of the commotion. He never considered the possibility she would come looking for him and wondered if she had gone to La Push and the entire forest was filled with native men, all looking for him.

"You're going to pay for that, bitch, and a broken arm is nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you." The man was enraged and his nostrils flared as he breathed heavily in and out.

Bella wasn't about to let him take her from the spot in the open and leave her for dead somewhere deep within the caves. If he was going to kill her, he would have to do it right here. She let her foot fly and it connected with his chest, pushing him back enough for her to run again.

Her arm felt like a knife was being plunged into muscles but she forced herself to keep running. She could hear his footsteps behind her and suddenly became aware of someone running to the side of her about twenty feet away. There were two of them, and she knew her chances of survival were now over.

Edward saw the man reach out and grab Bella by the hair when she suddenly slowed her pace. She cried in pain and Edward could tell by the way she was holding her arm it was broken. It only served to fuel his rage and he ran with full speed, hitting the man from the side and sending him flying away from Bella.

She collapsed to the ground in pain and watched the fight going on just to the side of her. Edward was able to kick the gun from the man's hands but it didn't stop the man from pulling a knife and lunging at Edward. The blade ran lightly across his chest, leaving a large cut in Edward's shirt and a line of blood appeared.

The man grabbed Edward by the throat and pushed him against a large tree as he squeezed. The loud sound of a gun echoed off the trees and everything froze. The men stopped moving and Bella stopped breathing. She watched as the stranger with long hair took a step back to reveal Edward's gun pressed against his abdomen. He looked down and then fell onto his knees as Edward quickly stepped away.

Relief and pain entered Bella's mind as a loud, long scream pierced the darkness. Edward ran to her and fell to his knees afraid to touch her. She stared in horror at the blood soaking his shirt so he said softly. "It isn't deep, I'm fine."

The forest began to swirl into funny patterns and she lost consciousness. Edward pulled out his phone and called for help, before lifting her in his arms and stumbling toward the main road.

It was dark when she opened her eyes, but she was in a bed and a nurse was checking her I.V. "Where's my husband?" Bella asked.

"He left with the police officers. You have protection just outside the door, so you just rest," the kind woman said.

Edward learned Victoria had fled and nobody knew where she went. Her van was still at the house along with her wheelchair, but there wasn't a trace of the woman herself. The dead man was James White, and they were trying to find a link between the two. Tanya was now living in San Francisco and Edward took the first flight from Port Angeles to make sure she was safe.

He drove to her house without letting her know he was coming. Winston was on his way to Forks and he knew Bella would be safe. He wasn't totally worried about Tanya's safety, but he knew Bella would never forgive herself if something happened to Tanya because of her story. Edward also felt a bit of loyalty to his senior partner.

He rang the doorbell, realizing it was early in the morning and most likely Tanya was still asleep. He told himself to give her ten minutes to open and then he would kick it down. It wasn't necessary since she answered right away.

They both stared at each other in stunned silence. Tanya was pregnant, very pregnant and Edward wondered how her husband could let her take such a dangerous assignment. He also realized her sudden desire to marry, obviously pregnant before the wedding.

"I'm here for protection," Edward said softly and she chuckled a bit.

"Surely you mean for me to protect you," she teased him and he smiled.

"We caught one of the killers, but we lost the woman, you'll need to go underground for a bit," he said and she moved from the door so he could enter.

"If I go underground we won't find the others. There has to be more than one killer. You shouldn't have come here, Edward."

"I need to know you're safe. You're putting your husband at risk, too." His eyes wandered to the small room with the open door and he saw an empty bed. He looked around for photographs or wedding pictures but saw nothing. "Are you here alone?" he finally asked her.

She nodded for him to sit and moved to a chair across from him. "I'm not married, Edward. I want you to know I don't want anything from you. I'm doing this on my own."

He stared at her as her words fought their way into his brain. He tried to make them mean the case, he wanted desperately for them to mean the case, but he knew in his heart she was talking about the baby. He felt tears fill his eyes and he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Visions of Bella ran through his mind and he felt like he wanted to vomit.

"Edward," she said softly to get his attention. "I don't want you to be part of my life, do you understand? This is my baby."

"You're a ghost, how can you raise a baby and do what you do?" he asked, still not accepting the fact he could possibly be the father. At this point his mind concentrated on Tanya as a fellow agent, and he was trying to understand how she could continue doing her job as she raised a child.

"It's the perfect cover," she said and his desire to vomit kicked up a notch. The fact she was using his child as a cover blasted into his mind. She did it on purpose. She seduced him to father a baby and he fell for it because he was a weak man.

He stared at her as things connected and began making sense. She smiled but he didn't return the gesture. He felt betrayed on a very deep level and never expected a partner to be the one to do it.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asked with a low voice.

"Never," she said quickly.

He stood and felt his knees shaking. He looked at the door but he couldn't force himself to leave so he grabbed a small colored bottle from the coffee table and threw it across the room in anger, smashing it against the wall. Tanya never even blinked. She was always the tougher agent and he now saw why, she was void of a heart.

"Do you know the sex?" he asked with a hysterical sounding voice.

"Yes, a boy," she said still keeping her cool.

His tears began to fall as he realized he was going to have a son walking the earth and he would never be a part of his life. It felt like a loss, and huge void he never knew was missing but suddenly left him hollow.

"You can't do this to me," Edward said through his tears.

"I'm doing nothing to you, most men would be grateful. I needed sperm Edward, that's all."

"You should have asked me," he said and she smiled as she shook her head.

"You would have said, no."

"Does Winston know?"

"He knows I'm pregnant, you are the only one to know who the father is. I let everyone know up front I wasn't left by the love of my life. I wanted a baby of my own, period."

His eyes widened at her words and he laughed loudly. "Well, Agent Denali, there was someone you didn't let know…up front. The world is full of men you could have used, why me?"

"I like your jaw line and height. You're smart and fast. It was your DNA I wanted, not your presence in my life."

He finally walked to the door and held the knob as he spoke. "You better move before the killer finds you. And Tanya, I just want you to know I've never hated anyone in my life as much as I hate you right now."

"You're entitled to your opinion, Edward. But just so you know, I could care less."

He walked out the door and drove to the airport without seeing anything around him. He felt stupid and angry. He had left Bella in a hospital bed to check on a woman who didn't have one ounce of concern for him or his feelings. He wasn't sure how he could face Bella now. He was going to have to tell her what happened and the thought of it ripped his heart.

11

This time when Bella woke up Edward was asleep in the chair in her room. She stared at his face and thought she saw the tracks of dried tears on his cheeks. Edward most likely felt guilty for her broken arm, she mused, and it made her love him even more.

She looked down at the cast on her arm and smiled to see it was signed. It was hard to read Winston's scribbled message but Edward's was easy to read, _I'm lost without you. _A big smile formed on her face and she looked over to see him looking back at her.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

His face stayed in its anguished expression and he moved to come closer to the bed. Bella scooted to the far edge and smiled when he climbed onto the spot next to her. She wished she could hold him but the large plaster made it impossible.

"How's your chest?" she asked. He wondered if she meant the wound or his heart.

"I'm fine, it wasn't deep and I didn't even need stitches. Victoria ran, we haven't been able to pick up any traces of her. I'm sure she knew she would have to run eventually and had everything in place."

"Did anyone come after Tanya?" Bella asked and Edward winced at her words. She noticed his reaction and felt her heart pounding. "Edward, is Tanya okay?"

"She's fine," he said with a tight voice.

"Something's wrong, I can tell," Bella said and watched as tears formed in his eyes. She couldn't help her own tears and every horrible scenario ran through her mind. Edward seemed to be struggling with his words and Bella wasn't to scream from frustration when Winston came into the room.

"You're being released, are you ready to go home?" her boss asked with a huge smile.

"Yeah, I need to unpack so don't you dare give me another assignment," she said.

"You're free for six weeks, but Eddie here has work to do," Winston said and Edward growled at him.

"Call me Eddie again and I'll quit." He stood and Bella grabbed his arm to keep him from leaving causing Winston to look at them both warily. She let go of his arm and when a nurse came into the room Edward left with Winston so Bella could dress to leave.

She felt she knew what was going on. She had been hurt and Edward wanted her to quit the agency so he wouldn't have to worry about her so much. A big conversation was headed for them and she was already dreading it. She was going to point out it was his attempts to keep her in the dark that caused her to enter the forest blindly. Maybe if she told him how much she loved him he would feel he could depend on her as a partner. Whatever it took she was determined to keep him in her life.

They drove to a small airstrip and took a private plane back to Virginia. It had only been a week since they left but it felt like a lifetime ago. A limo picked them up and dropped off Bella first. She wanted to tell Edward to come right back to her apartment, but she couldn't say anything in front of Winston.

"Get unpacked and ready to return when your six weeks are up," Winston said and Bella wanted to ask Edward if he still wanted her to come to Chicago with him. He wouldn't even look at her when she got out of the car and she chalked it up to the big boss sitting right next to him.

Bella groaned when she entered her apartment and was met with a room full of boxes. It would take twice as long with a cast and she considered hiring someone since she would be there to see where everything was put. She took a bath, struggled to wash her hair with one hand, and dressed in a large t-shirt and panties to tackle a few boxes.

When the doorbell rang she ran to find Edward standing with a report in his hand. "I need you to sign off on our report," he said without looking at her.

"Okay, come in," she offered and he walked in to sit on the couch.

She sat across from him and began reading the file. There was so much he had been doing that she was unaware of, but she was writing which was part of the case, too. When she got to the part where she had forgotten to load her weapon she sat the report down harshly. Her stupidity kept her alive, but proved her inferiority as an agent.

"I'm sorry, no wonder you never let me in on what you were doing," she said and wiped her tears in frustration. The last thing she wanted was to cry in front of him. "I'll learn from my mistakes and be better next time, I promise."

"You were perfect," he said and looked at his jeans instead of her face.

"Edward, the arm is nothing, it could have been much worse. Can't we move past it and I'll work on…"

"I have to tell you something, and I'm not sure how to say it," he blurted out and she stopped talking. Her heart told her it was something she didn't want to hear so she tried to say it for him.

"I know we were pretending to be married and it gets confusing sometimes."

"No, that has nothing to do with it," he said and she noticed how his eyes grew wet.

"You're scaring me," she whispered and he sat forward, trying to find the courage to say what he needed to say.

"Tanya betrayed me," he said and Bella heard herself gasp.

"She was in on it?"

"No, but it would have been so much better if she was. She's a ghost, it was the big promotion she wanted, her story about marriage was a cover, but wanting a baby was real. She needed a child to make her position as a ghost more believable."

"She's going to be a ghost and still raise a baby?" Bella asked in shock. "I could never do that."

He looked at Bella and bit his lip as he tried to find more courage. He wasn't sure if he wanted to watch her eyes when he said the words he planned to say. He couldn't bear to see her disappointment or anger, but most of all he couldn't stand the thought of her feelings for him changing.

"She didn't want a man, she only wanted sperm from someone with acceptable DNA," he said softly and Bella nodded, thinking she had gone to a sperm bank.

"Don't make me say it," he finally said as his tears freely fell. "I'm a coward and can't even say the words."

"Say wh…" It all clicked. It was almost like a movie playing in her mind, two agents acting like man and wife and finally succumbing to their basic needs as they shared a bed. He told her it was just sex, but it resulted in a child. She glanced around at her boxes and shook her head at the idea of how important they had once seemed.

"I don't know what to say to you," he admitted. "I feel like my feet have been pulled out from under me and I don't know what to do. She never planned on telling me, but I know now, so do I ignore it, fight like hell, or simply accept it."

"Do you think she did it on purpose?" Bella asked and he raised his eyebrows telling her it was exactly what he thought.

"She was a bright agent at the top of her game. She had to know what she was doing," he said with disgust.

For some reason Bella instantly thought of her story and hated the idea of Tanya seeing Edward in the character and writing hateful things as she carried his child. If she wasn't pregnant Bella would hope Victoria would find her, but she would never wish something bad on Edward's child.

Edward wiped his face and began playing with the fabric on his knee. "It's a boy," he said softly.

"Hey," she called to him and he looked up. "As your partner I am really sorry someone took advantage of your goodness. She was senior and her behavior is inexcusable. But as a woman who thinks you are pretty damn incredible I want you to know I'm here for you, whatever you need from me, just say the words."

He nodded and tried to smile as he held out his hand for hers. Bella jumped from the chair and rushed over to stand in front of him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held on tightly. She ran her good hand through his hair and let him cry out his pain to a woman he could trust.

"I love you, Bella," he said against her stomach. "God, I love you so much."

She made a decision right then and there that she wouldn't be able to protect her heart from him. She would have to jump in blindly because he needed her right now. "I love you, Edward. I'll never betray you." She lowered to her knees and he held her face in his hands as her good hand was placed over his. When he moved closer to kiss her she leaned between his legs and felt his arms circle, pulling her body to his.

It was a bit awkward to want to feel him in her arms, but have to leave the large appendage hanging uselessly. He didn't seem to mind and kissed her with total trust which made her heart soar. She didn't consider everything it meant to their lives at that moment. She just wanted to show him she was dependable. He didn't feel like the junior agent who had been betrayed or the senior agent teaching someone the ropes. He was simply a man holding the woman he loved.

_The review had been particularly brutal and carried over to a forum where the author was berated and laughed at. This woman would be treated extra harshly for her cruelty and it made the shadow excited to get going. She walked from the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed before pulling out a small box. The chubby hands reached for the razor blade at the bottom of the box and the shadow noticed how her hands were shaking. _

_The woman raised her leg and pulled up her shorts to reveal deep cuts along the folds of her joint. She pushed the blade and sighed with relief as blood seeped into a thick rag. She liked the blood, the feel of it, the sight of it, and the release it gave her. The shadowed decided she would be denied her obsession._

_A small mouth piece, soaked in ether was placed over the fat woman's mouth and she fell back onto the bed in one swift motion. It was over an hour before she woke up to find herself gagged and tied spread eagle on the bed. Her eyes widened and she tried to cry out, but the shadow only smiled at her. A heavy bat was raised into the air and came down on the slightly elevated shin smashing the bone with the first blow. The woman tried to scream but the bat rose again breaking the other shin. _

"_Please, stop," the woman begged. Just like the author would have pleaded as the woman called her horrible names and told people not to read her stories. She had said the author was a pimple faced coed who couldn't spell or use proper grammar to save her life. She said the sex scenes were laughable and obviously the author was a virgin and most likely would remain one. _

_But the author was a young woman who had overcome years of abuse and tried to deal with her newfound confidence by writing about her experiences she had buried deeply. It was freeing and cathartic to say aloud the things she had trapped deep in her soul. The mean comments had sent her right back to the darkness, afraid to say anything again._

_The woman tied to the bed had her own obvious issues, but she didn't try to rise above them, she tried to destroy others, so she would be sent back into the darkness, too. The shadow removed both of her eyes before using the bat to crush her skull._

Edward was finding joy in the love she professed feeling for him. For a small moment his problems were gone, until his phone rang and he groaned loudly. He sat back against the couch, keeping Bella's good hand in his and answered the phone.

"Oh, God," he said as if something he heard made him sick. "Do you think James was involved at all, or are we way off course?"

Bella watched his face and he continued to listen. His eyes moved to Bella's hand and he quickly said, "She can't type."

Did they seriously expect her to finish the story and put Edward's baby at risk? She was promised six weeks off and no matter how much she tried to put Edward's problems ahead of her own, she really did need to unpack.

He finally hung up and looked at her sheepishly. "Well," he said slowly. "I'm your scribe. You speak and I'll type."

"No," Bella said forcefully. "I won't do it unless Tanya is taken off the case."

"She outranks us both," Edward pointed out.

"I'll load what I have already written, but I won't add more to it," Bella said and moved away from him. He nodded, not really up for a fight in the condition he was in.

He glanced around the room and realized for the first time how annoying it must have been for Bella to live among the boxes for so long. He opened up the box closest to him and said, "Tell me where stuff goes and I'll put it away."

She smiled and couldn't express how much she loved him right now. She had kind of hoped they would go right to her bed, but the fact he expressed his love and still wanted to help her unpack meant so much more. Until he lifted a glass with the image of Justin Timberlake etched into the side and laughed loudly. Bella suddenly realized it was not a good idea to let him help her unpack.

12

Bella kicked him out of the apartment when he doubted her love of hard rock and she took to wearing all her vintage tees to prove to herself the N'sync glasses were simply a fluke. Edward had given his report without Bella and she felt like she was left out of the boys club.

Her arm became a burden and she considered cutting of the cast herself when she got the news the murders seemed to have stopped. Maybe James was the only killer and the last one was just a late find. Victoria was still in the back of everyone's mind but they grew encouraged by the fact no more bodies were being found.

It was in the middle of the lull Edward brought up the subject of Chicago. He walked into Bella's apartment to find everything in its place and all boxes long gone. "Wow," he exclaimed with a big smile. "This looks great."

Bella rushed over to pull him into her arms. "It looked great a week ago, where have you been?"

She didn't mean for it to sound so whiny but he smiled and said, "You missed me?" He loved that she knew it had been a week since he last saw her, it meant she wanted him and he could confess it was torturous for him to be away. He had been giving details of the case to accounting and to the lawyers and each day ended late.

"Do you have a hack saw? I can't take this cast another moment," she said and held up her arm.

"Be good," he teased and kissed her until all thoughts of the cast left her mind. "Do you want to get out of here and see the outside world?"

She smiled and let her thumb run over his lips as she shook her head back and forth. "The outside world is overrated," she said softly and he tightened his hold on her.

"I don't have any meetings tomorrow," he said to let her know he was hers for the entire night.

"Can you call your mom and ask if you can sleep over," she said and he chuckled but was happy for the opening.

"I hope you'll come with me to my sister's wedding. I got you a ticket," he admitted and hoped she didn't take his presumption the wrong way.

"How are you going to explain who I am?" she asked.

"Well, I can say, this is my partner I didn't knock up," he answered cynically and she realized it was something he was still in pain over. God, she couldn't imagine telling either one of her parents a case ended up in a pregnancy and felt awful for Edward having to tell his.

"Are you going to tell your family?" she asked and he nodded as he took a deep breath.

"The only bright spot is it will ruin the wedding for Rosalie, kind of makes it all worth it."

"Stop," Bella said and smacked his chest with her good hand. "You don't look like your brother." It was something she wanted to mention for a long time, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up or if he would be insulted by her observation, instead he smiled and liked the fact she used her instincts.

"We all came from egg donors," he said and Bella felt her mouth fall open. "My father is biologically our father and our mother carried and gave birth to each of us, but we don't carry any of her DNA."

"I didn't mean, I wasn't trying…"

"It's okay," he laughed. "My mother will tell you all about it when she meets you anyway."

Bella decided to have a bit of fun at Edward expense and said, "My mom used to be an egg donor, I hope we aren't related." His face paled and she broke out into laughter, but he continued to look concerned.

"We are not having sex until you have a DNA test," he demanded and she protested loudly. It did make her wonder if something was suddenly holding Edward back. He seemed all for it when they were in Forks but since coming back home he seemed to be stalling.

"I kind of got the feeling you were avoiding me," she said and watched him for a reaction. He took her hand and pulled her to the now clear couch before sitting for what she sensed as a serious talk. She waited for him to find the right words and rubbed his back lightly for encouragement.

"Bella, I'm going to have a son and as much as I want to believe nothing has changed in my life, it has. I don't care if Tanya remains an agent, but I can't let her raise my son as she works as a ghost. If I sue her for custody, I ruin her career."

Bella took his hand and gave him a light squeeze, "I'll support you in whatever decision you make."

He looked at her in surprise. "Really, you don't think I'm being chauvinistic?"

"No, I totally see your point. It wasn't right for her to do what she did."

Edward let out a deep breath and let his head fall onto her shoulder as he felt relief wash over him. He was terrified Bella would tell him to forget all about it and concentrate on their relationship. He decided to tell her exactly what he was feeling. "Bella, you're an extraordinary woman. I love you."

"So why are you avoiding me," she asked with a smile.

"I don't want you to feel…Jesus, I don't even know how to say it." His head dropped and he shook it back and forth.

"You make me feel wonderful, Edward. I want to make you feel wonderful, too." Her tone changed and she hoped he didn't reject her.

"I hope you don't think this is something I make a habit of, I swear Tanya didn't mean anything to me," he said and finally found the courage to look at Bella.

"My only regret is this stupid cast. If you stay tonight, Edward, I won't regret a moment of it. But if you will regret it, don't stay."

"Regret? No regrets," he chuckled and she wasn't sure what he meant, but she was hopeful it meant he would stay.

She smiled and placed her leg on his lap and nodded at the smooth skin. "I waxed," she said proudly and he laughed as he ran his warm hand over her skin. He didn't stop at her shorts and kept moving upward as he looked in her eyes.

A shiver ran through her body and she closed her eyes when he reached the spot that made her inhale deeply. A part of her couldn't believe this was finally happening, while another part of her wondered why it took so long.

"Oh my God," he moaned softly and she opened her eyes to see his head fall back on the couch. She pushed his hand away and straddled his lap to find the feeling of him she desired. His hands moved to her hips and he held her tightly against his body as she kissed his throat wetly.

Her hands began unbuttoning his shirt, mastering movements with her cast. She moved it off his shoulders and smiled at the sight of his bare chest she remembered so well.

"Is the bed box free, too?" he asked and she nodded before moving off his lap and holding out her good hand for his. She led him to her bedroom and he loved the sight of the king size bed. She walked over to turn on the stereo and he teased her by asking for N'Sync.

For some reason they both felt a little shy, which was silly since they had showered together and shared a bed already. This was a big step in having a relationship, not a hook up or working a case, and they both felt the weight of the decision. The music went a long way in helping them both relax so they began removing the rest of their clothes.

Edward pulled down the comforter and climbed into the bed. Bella walked over to his side so her cast would be on the outside of the bed so he scooted over and held the covers for her. "Thanks," she said and he pulled the covers over her and leaned over her body.

"You're so beautiful," he said and she puckered her lips to give him an air kiss. He moved in close and kissed her with soft chaste kisses. She let him take his time to get used to the newness of her room, her bed, and her body.

She wasn't sure what was off, but something felt wrong. He was scared, or at least that was what it felt like, so she pushed him onto his back and placed her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and sighed loudly.

"There is no rush, Edward," she said and hoped he felt confident enough to talk honestly to her.

"I feel like you deserve so much better than me," he said sadly and she looked up at his face.

"You know the story I wrote?" she asked and he nodded. "It was about you. I know you're not perfect, but you are everything I want, so you're perfect to me."

He smiled and said softly, "No vampires?"

"Yeah, Mike was the vampire, but you staked him in the heart. I really should thank you properly for that by the way," she said with a smile.

He laughed fully, like he used to weeks ago and wrapped his arms around her to roll her onto her back. His concerns left as quickly as they seemed to come. He kissed her as his hands wandered over her body and stopped at her breasts. She loved him and his touch set her body on fire. They moved slowly and he seemed to put her needs before his own. It was nothing like what he experienced with Tanya, because Bella wasn't just his partner, she was the woman who promised to support his decisions and patch his broken heart back together.

Everything was more intense and it wasn't just because it had been over a year since she had sex, it was because she opened her heart fully and let him consume her. He held her tightly as her body cried out its release and he followed quickly. Bella let her casted arm fall onto the bed as she struggled to steady her own breathing.

"Edward," she said with a pleading voice. "I'll do anything you want if you'll cut this cast off my arm."

"Hand me the phone," he said and she gave him a quizzical look. "If I get permission from an expert, I'll cut it off for you."

She handed him the phone and he dialed a number and smiled when a woman answered. "Hi mom," he said with a smile and Bella gasped and covered her mouth. "Is four weeks too early to remove a cast on an arm?"

Bella was mentally begging for the word no to come from his mother's mouth but instead she asked, "What kind of fracture?"

"Closed fracture of the radius, casted from the thumb to the elbow," he repeated and Bella loved to hear him talking technical with his mother so she kissed his chest.

"Six weeks would be better, but four should be enough," his mother said. "Are we talking about you, dear?"

"No, so let me get this straight, if we were talking about me you would insist on six, but if it is just some random stranger, four would do?"

The woman laughed and Bella felt her tone and demeanor seemed open and friendly. "Let's split the difference and say five," his mother offered and Edward gave Bella a remorseful look so she pretended to pout.

"When are you coming for the wedding?" she asked him and he became more serious.

"We're coming on the Thursday before and leaving the following Monday," he informed her and she caught the word, we.

"You're bringing someone?" she asked.

"Yeah, the woman I love," he said and smiled over at Bella.

The line was silent until his mother finally asked, "Are you serious?"

Edward laughed loudly and said, 'Yes, I'm serious, be sure and tell Rosalie." Bella smacked his arm and gave him a warning glance.

The conversation continued on until Bella began kissing his neck and made her way to his free ear and licked it softly. "We can talk in two weeks, mom," he said quickly and hung up the phone. Bella had his undivided attention for the rest of the night.

They spent the next two weeks at Bella's apartment only going to Edward's for clothing and mail. Her cast came off and they celebrated by taking a long shower together. She was nervous when the day came to head to Chicago.

_The shadow was anxious to get back to work. There was a reason for the respite and it was over now, so the punishment would continue. The bitter mother of six walked into the empty house and kicked the clutter out of the way so she could sit in front of the computer. _

_The shadow had never been noticed before but this time a reflection on the screen caused the woman to turn and look directly into the dark eyes. She screamed loudly and someone tried to open the front door causing the shadow to run from the back door and jump the sagging fence. Finally, there was a face to place with the crime. _

Edward's phone rang as soon as they landed in Chicago and Bella worried they would be called back to Langley. Edward grabbed a pen and began writing furiously on a small pad of paper. Male, black, dreadlocks, late twenties early thirties, large muscles, didn't speak. Bella read over his shoulder and sighed at the thought of more murders.

"Is Tanya safe?" Edward asked and Bella moved around to see his face clearly. She thought for a moment he was going to fall down so she held tightly to his elbow. "Yeah, thanks," he said and put his phone in his pocket before looking at Bella.

"Tanya had the baby this morning," he said and his jaw tightened before he grabbed his bag and walked away.


	5. Chapter 13 thru 15

13

Bella stood in the crowded passage as she tried to come to terms with the fact a real child of Edward's existed in the world. It had always felt a bit like a story from FanNet, but now it felt real. She ran to catch up with him and grabbed his arm to pull him out of the way of other passengers so she could talk to him.

"Edward, you have to go see your child," she said and noticed how anguished he appeared. "You can take the first flight out and I'll explain everything to your parents. The wedding is Saturday night and you can easily be back by then."

"I can't just leave you here," he said and she could tell he was considering her proposal.

"Sure you can, I'll be fine, you go," she said and watched as he looked at the departing flights on the screen over her head. His eyes came back to hers and she smiled before saying, "I love you, now go."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, probably a bit too deeply for a public place but she didn't complain. "My mom will be at baggage claim, take our bag and I'll be back tomorrow."

Bella nodded and smiled larger so he would find the strength to leave. He kissed her one more time and turned to run toward another airline. Bella walked the long path to the baggage claim and looked around for several minutes before finding Esme and a small girl standing next to her who she assumed was Alice. They looked just like they did in the pictures.

Bella approached the women and smiled before saying, "Edward had to catch another flight and will be back tomorrow. I'm Bella Swan." She held out her hand and Esme took it and pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm Esme Cullen and this is my daughter Alice," she said kindly and made Bella immediately relax.

"Edward just dumped you here?" Alice asked angrily.

"No," Bella laughed, "He got a call and had to take care of something. He hated the idea of leaving but he'll make it for the wedding."

Alice nodded and rolled her eyes, "Rose will grill him if he misses the wedding."

Her comment made Bella suddenly afraid; she was going to have to meet Rosalie all by herself. The women chatted comfortably the whole way home and Bella loved the large estate Edward was raised in. She was shown to her room and when Alice left she pulled Esme aside, "I need to speak to you and your husband in private."

"I thought you would," Esme said with a smile and told her she would find Carlisle and meet her in the library. Bella walked through the large home searching for the library and luckily ran into the two doctors on their way.

They all sat and Bella thought it would be best to just come out with it. "Did you know Tanya?"

"Edward's previous partner?" Carlisle asked and Bella realized they were aware of Edward's job.

"Yes, she gave birth this morning to Edward's child," Bella explained and tried to say it as kindly as she could, but Esme still gasped and covered her mouth.

"She never planned on telling him, and set up the whole thing to have a child without a man on purpose. She wanted Edward's DNA, not his love."

"What did she have?" Esme asked and Bella only realized then she had just told them about their first grandchild.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me," Bella said angry at herself. "It's a boy, you have a grandson."

Edward stopped by the hospital gift shop and purchased some flowers and a small blue teddy bear. He was shaking by the time he reached Tanya's room. He walked in without knocking and the room was filled with Tanya's girlfriends. They all looked at Edward, but his eyes were drawn to the small bundle lying in an isolette next to the bed. He plunged the flowers into the pitcher of water and sat the bear in the crib before picking up the squirming baby.

"This is my cousin, Edward," Tanya said and he didn't bother correcting her. "Can you give us a moment?"

The girls each said goodbye and stole one last glance at the baby before heading out the door. Tanya looked at Edward but his entire focus was on his son. He could see the baby had his jaw line and the long fingers told him he most likely had Edward's height too. Tanya got what she wanted.

"Why are you here?" she finally asked with an exasperated voice.

Edward walk to the rocker and sat down to remove the blanket and see all of his son. "Don't speak to me," he said in answer to Tanya's question.

"Well, I'm going to rest, so watch him for a bit," she said and turned onto her side.

"What's his name?" Edward asked softly, hoping she couldn't tell how close he was to tears.

"Cade," she answered and he looked at her with shock. It was the name he had used when they were pretending to be man and wife. She named him after his father in the only way she could.

"Thank you," Edward said softly and she nodded.

He held the miracle in his arms for close to two hours as Tanya slept. He tried to memorize everything about Cade's face and body. His long legs were just skin stretched over bones and Edward smiled at the memory of Emmett teasing him about his skinny legs.

He took several pictures with his phone and sent them to Bella. She stared at the screen and hoped she would someday hold their son in her arms. She waited for Esme to be alone and walked over to show her the screen. The two women stared together as tears ran down their faces.

"May I print them?" Esme asked and Bella handed over her phone and watched Esme walk into the library.

When Cade began to fuss Edward carried him into the hallway and ran into a nurse. "Does he take a bottle or is Tanya breast feeding?"

"Are you the father?" the nurse asked.

"Yes," Edward answered and didn't give a damn about Tanya's cover. The young nurse got a bottle and handed it to Edward. He went back to the rocker and fed his son as he cried over the prospect of leaving the next day.

Bella was wiping her eyes and her runny nose when Rosalie walked in. Bella knew it was her, and not by seeing any pictures, but by looking into the eyes of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She quickly wiped her hands on her shirt and tried to smile at Rose.

"I'm Bella, Edward's…." She wasn't sure what to call herself and Rose smirked hatefully at her.

"Yeah, Edward has a lot of those," she said snidely.

"Congratulations on your wedding," Bella offered and tried to ignore the insult thrown her way.

"Only Edward would think he could add someone to the guest list without screwing things up," the beauty answered and Bella was really starting to not like her.

"I won't eat and I'll sit on his lap it if will help," Bella said with her own snide sarcasm.

Rosalie actually had to fight to keep the smile off her face and Bella wondered if her attitude was all an act. Maybe she didn't like people only seeing her beauty and tried to act all badass as a defense mechanism.

"Since you're here, we'll work it out," Rosalie said and headed into the kitchen. Bella followed and told her Edward would be flying in the next day. She spun around to face Bella with a look of total anger.

"He's going to miss his own brother's wedding?"

"No, he'll be here in plenty of time," Bella said and wondered if Rosalie hadn't heard her clearly.

"God, that is just so Edward," she said under her breath and Bella could tell their feelings for each other were deeply rooted in hatred. The kitchen door opened and a huge man with rippling muscles walked into the room.

"Hi," he said with a big smile and there was something so juvenile about him.

"You must be Emmett," she said and extended her hand. "I'm Bella."

"I'm really glad you came," he said and she finally felt welcomed. "Is Edward around?"

"He flies in tomorrow," Bella said and Emmett looked a little saddened by the news but Rosalie just huffed angrily.

"He'll make it, Rosie, don't worry," Emmett said and walked over to kiss her cheek lovingly. Bella wanted to thank Carlisle for raising such loving men and knew they just learned by example.

Esme returned to the room and handed Bella her phone before giving her oldest son a big hug. Rosalie was complaining about something when Esme gave her a hug but Bella was reading the text Edward sent telling her the name and details of his son.

"Bella?" Emmett said and she finally looked up to see everyone staring at her. "This is Jasper Whitlock, Edward's best friend."

Bella looked at the tall thin man with a beautiful face and burst into tears. She didn't know how to explain her emotions and Esme quickly put her arm around her and tried to explain to the stunned group. "Bella is having an argument with Edward about getting here quickly. I'm afraid I started the whole mess and we all need to be patient and realize he will come as soon as possible."

Esme was such a wonderful woman, and Bella realized it was smart of Edward to confide in his parents about his real occupation. Bella wished she could trust her parents in the same manner, but they honestly believed she worked in the human resources department at Langley. Her mother dated too often to be trusted and her father would worry too much about her safety.

They all walked to the family room to sit and talk. Jasper sat in a wing chair next to Bella and spoke with a sexy southern accent. "So, how is Edward?"

"Great, he'll be here tomorrow," Bella told him.

"Wonderful, just in time for the bachelor party," he said with a smile and Bella quickly added, "I mean Saturday."

Jasper laughed loudly and promised to keep Edward away from strippers and prostitutes. "We'll most likely play cards," he added and Bella wanted to beg him to take Edward to the strippers and prostitutes.

"Edward says he always wins," Bella said and watched Jasper for a reaction. She realized Jasper was most likely a great player too, because she couldn't read anything in his expression.

Tanya woke up just as Edward finished changing a diaper. She smiled and sat up to see her son fed and sound asleep. "Thanks, I really needed the rest," she said.

Edward sat in the rocker and looked at her as she smiled at their son. It was all wrong, it should be Bella in the bed and they should be discussing taking their baby home together. He finally said, "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Easily," she replied as she turned to look at him. "You're going back to Virginia and I'm going home with my son."

"Like Hell," he responded and she exhaled loudly.

"Edward, I don't want you or need you. Don't show up here with your panties in a bunch because I borrowed your chromosomes. Cade will know nothing about you. God, it was how you were made, with a borrowed egg."

"It isn't remotely similar and you know it," he said as his voice rose. "I'll lay it all out there. I want you to stop being a ghost, not an agent, just the dangerous shit. I want visitation throughout the year or have him each summer, you can decide. I want…"

"I don't give a shit what you want, Edward. If you walk away like a good boy I'll tell Cade where to find you when he's eighteen. If not, good luck finding me. Don't you dare make demands on me, because you'll see just what a great fucking ghost I can be."

"I'll plaster your picture on every media outlet out there. You'll never work a case again," he threatened.

"You'll go down with me," she pointed out.

"For my son, it will be worth it," he said and softened his voice.

They were at a standstill and neither one willing to give in. Edward hated the idea of his son being caught in the middle of a war between his parents, but Tanya would never put the child first, she was too conditioned to think of what she could get out of a situation. Right now, Cade meant bigger cases and nothing more.

Edward stayed until visiting hours were over for the night. He took the baby to the nursery and left Tanya in the room asleep. A motel was close to the hospital so he got a room and changed out of his clothes since he would have to put them on again the next day. He showered and collapsed into bed with just a towel.

Bella spent the evening getting to know the family better. Emmett had a personality as big as his body, and Alice was so bubbly you couldn't help but adore her. Rose was going to take some effort, and Jasper was a brick wall when it came to weaseling information out of him about Edward. Bella suspected Jasper knew what Edward did for a living, she wasn't sure, but she felt he was trying to protect his friend.

_The room was dark and the hallway had only dim light filtering from the nurse's station. A shadow moved along the wall and slipped into a room. It remained still as it watched the woman breath in and out steadily. A blanket stuffed with rags was carried to the small isolette next to the bed and quickly switched for the sleeping bundle._

_A note was stuck to the crib that read: __**You took the most important thing in my life, now I'm taking yours. You never should have come to Forks.**__ The body moved to the doorway and bent down to place the baby in a gym bag before straightening her nurse's uniform, adjusting the wig over her red hair, and then she walked out the door. _

14

Bella woke with a smile at the sight of Edward's room. She was anxious for him to return and was actually looking forward to the wedding. Alice promised to take her shopping to find the perfect dress and Rosalie was going to meet up with them for lunch. The day promised to be a good one.

Edward woke with a sense of dread. He knew Tanya spent the night planning how to get him out of the picture. He wasn't worried about her running off just yet. If she tried to run, Winston would call her in, and Tanya was all about the job at this point. He also knew he was going to have to say goodbye to Cade today, and the thought left him nauseous.

He arrived at the hospital and noticed several police cars out front. He figured a criminal must have been brought into the emergency room and didn't give it much thought. He only made it to the elevator before he was approached by officers. "Mr. Cullen?" a policeman called to him.

Edward turned and noticed everyone coming toward him. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"We would like to speak with you," an officer said and motioned toward a small office.

"May I ask who is in charge?" Edward said and a short portly man was pointed out. "I need to speak with him alone for a moment."

The sergeant walked in behind Edward and shut the door. He opened his wallet and pulled out his federal I.D. "I'm a federal officer, but I need to keep my identification quiet since I'm still on a case."

"What time did you leave last night, Mr. Cullen?" the man asked.

"At nine, why?" He was beginning to get angry and knew Tanya had put some sort of plan in place. He looked at his watch to see what time it was in Virginia in case he had to call Winston.

"Have you been to Forks, Washington?"

"Yes, for the case I'm working," Edward answered and was handed a picture of the note that was found on the crib. "What's this?" Edward asked in confusion.

"It was found on your son's crib. He's been taken from the hospital."

He looked back at the note and felt his heart fall as if on a rollercoaster. He tried to work out any scenario that didn't involve the sick people he was hunting. He was handed a second photo, this one of Victoria, dressed as a nurse and carrying a duffle bag.

"We got this from the security camera," the officer told him. "Do you know this woman?"

Edward had to breathe with his mouth open to get enough oxygen into his lungs. The room was collapsing on him and he had to sit down so he wouldn't fall. "Um…I'm sorry, I can't talk to you any further, I need local agents," Edward said in just a whisper. The man nodded and left the room.

Edward wasn't sure what to do; he needed Bella and couldn't stand the thought of seeing Tanya. He pulled out his phone and tried to steady his hands so he could call Bella's number. She answered quickly. "I'm so glad you called, I couldn't make it another moment without hearing your voice," she said with a huge smile on her face.

He opened his mouth but words eluded him. "Edward?" she asked and felt her heart skip a beat. Alice looked over to where Bella was sitting as she drank her coffee.

"Bella," he managed to get out before loud sobs escaped.

She jumped up to stand and said louder, "Edward, what's wrong?" She couldn't imagine anything that would make him sound the way he did. It would be hard to leave his son, but his anguish was way beyond that emotion.

"I killed James, so she took him," he cried.

"Victoria?" Bella asked.

"She took my son, Bella, Victoria has him," he said and she heard him pound on something.

"Oh God," Bella cried out and felt helpless and terrified. "I'll catch a flight as soon as possible. Have you called Winston?"

"No, the local police and getting the guys from the San Francisco office," he said and he sounded better by having something to focus on.

"I'll call Winston. Is Tanya okay?" she asked.

He didn't answer and she heard him take a deep breath. "Bella, I need you," he said with a broken voice.

"I'm coming, but listen to me, Edward. You can't hide with a baby. She made a big mistake by taking your son and we are going to find him," Bella said forcefully.

"What is she kills him?" Edward whispered and Bella knew it was his greatest fear.

"She won't, she hired it done because she can't do it herself. If she has Cade, he's alive."

"Hurry," Edward said as his tears fell.

Bella hung up and realized Alice was staring at her with wide eyes. "Edward has a son?" she asked in shock.

Things were happening too fast, and Bella wasn't experienced in keeping her cool as everything around her collapsed. She made a huge mistake and wondered if Edward would forgive her. She ran from the room and began packing her things. She dialed the office as she threw things in their bag.

"Winston," she cried.

"I just got a call, shit, how could Edward let this happen?" he yelled as he was breathing heavily from walking quickly.

"He didn't know Winston, Tanya did this to him."

"Well, stay where you are, we don't want three agents on the front page of the newspaper," he demanded.

"No way, he's my partner," she gasped.

"He's going to be outed, you'll be reassigned." Winston was trying to save her career and had no idea it was not her trainer she worried about, but the man she loved. She had to make a decision right this moment whether to save her career or rush to the man who needed her.

"I quit," she said and hung up the phone.

She pulled her suitcase down the stairs and Jasper offered to drive her to the airport. She quickly agreed, sensing he needed to talk to her. They jumped in his car and Jasper squealed from the driveway. Her mind was reeling and she felt awful for letting Esme and Carlisle know about a grandchild they may never get the chance to see.

The Chicago traffic was stop and go and her nerves were raw. Jasper was deep in thought and finally said, "Tell Edward not to worry about the wedding."

She wasn't even thinking about it and it only added more guilt to her already fully stressed mind. "God Jasper, how does he deal with this?"

Jasper beat his hand against the steering wheel and finally pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Get the airstream ready and file a plan to San Francisco," he said to whoever he was talking with.

Bella stared at him and he shook his head a couple of times before finally turning to look right at her. "I'm a ghost. Victoria has three properties where she can easily hide and two have very limited extradition."

She starred out the window as she tried desperately to put her training to good use. Edward always told her to trust her instincts so she turned to Jasper and said, "Cancel the flight plan to San Francisco. Where is your gut telling you she went?"

"Her family owns an island off a Brazil. It is so close to international waters nobody really claims jurisdiction. The Brazilian authorities won't help us, but they won't help her either. She has some land in Alaska but we felt she would run further when James died, obviously we were wrong."

"Can you land on the Island?" she asked and he shook his head. "Fine, we're going to Brazil and we'll take a boat from there." Bella grabbed her laptop and planned the story she was going to write. It would be one way to make Victoria think they were focused in the wrong direction. "Do we tell Edward?" Bella asked.

"Son of a Bitch," Jasper yelled loudly as he saw his career going down the drain. He knew his friend needed him to do everything he could to find Cade, but he also knew missing the bachelor party and wedding would make everyone suspicious.

"I need you to do something without fighting me," Jasper said and Bella tensed. "I need you to let me handle this on the island and you go take care of Edward. He'll do something stupid and he needs you there to keep his feet on the ground."

"What do you mean something stupid?" Bella asked.

"Everyone involved has careers to think of. We can handle this without exposing everyone, but Edward needs emotional support. He needs to come home and let the agency do its job."

Bella's phone rang and she answered to find Rose on the other end of the line. "What's going on that has everyone so unfocused on the wedding?" she demanded.

"You're wedding means nothing to me at the moment. Edward's son has been kidnapped and I'm sorry, but he won't be at the wedding. If you give him one moment of shit I will personally shave your head, do you understand?"

"I'm not a monster," Rose yelled back. "We didn't know he had a son, but this is much bigger than a wedding. Tell Edward to do what he needs to do and we'll wait and have the wedding another time."

"You would do that?" Bella asked and had a whole new appreciation for Rosalie.

"Hell yeah, I decided I hate my dress anyway, so this will give me time to find a new one." Bella pulled back a little on her new found Rosalie appreciation.

Edward stayed in the room as he waited for the local fed's to arrive. He wanted to be the one to find Victoria, swearing she would need the wheelchair when he got finished with her. The door flew open and Tanya ran in. Edward stood and she pounded her fists on his chest as she yelled, "You did this, I told you it was wrong to show up at my door. You led her right to him."

He grabbed her wrists and pushed her away, but he didn't try to defend himself. He already knew it was his fault. "We have to go to the press and get their pictures out as soon as possible," he told her.

"I can't go in front of cameras, Edward, and I don't have pictures of Cade," she said angrily.

"Well, I have some pictures and I'll stand in front of any camera I have to in order to get my son back."

"You idiot," she screamed. "You can't take pictures of a ghost's child. I trained you better than this."

"Oh my God," he screamed back. "Can you stop being an agent long enough to be a mother? Our son has been taken by a woman who kills people who don't like fictitious stories; do you think she'll give it a second thought before killing our son for revenge?"

"This is all on you, Edward. Fix it," Tanya demanded and walked out the door.

Edward was emotionally barely hanging on. The local feds walked in and he began filling them in on the story. Winston called and gave him instructions about remaining behind the scenes and keeping it out of the news.

There was only one thing going through Edward's mind. He wanted Bella, if he could just see her and hold her he would have all the strength he needed. He dialed her number and just hearing her voice gave him a reason to continue on.

"When will you be here?" he asked.

She could hear the fear in his voice and decided to go along with Jasper's plan after all. Victoria would recognize Bella, and she couldn't take the chance of ruining the case. "I'm on my way to the airport. I'll be there in about five hours," she said and heard him sigh sadly.

_Victoria waited at the agreed upon spot. She wanted to be free of the baby as fast as possible so she could flee. She was anxious to get online and see if there was any information about the kidnapping or possible search. She wished she could have seen Edward's face when he found out, it would have made the pain of losing James easier to take._

_There was movement in the dark and a figure walked toward her. Nobody spoke; Victoria simply handed over the baby and walked away. She didn't feel the sense of satisfaction she thought she would feel. It wasn't like the pleasure she had when the hateful little bitches paid for their remarks, she needed that kind of satisfaction. The baby had already left her thoughts as she began planning how the next person would pay for saying the wrong thing on FanNet. _

Bella sat on the plane and typed a start to a new story. She wrote about a crime against the vampire, and how the person would pay for taking something important from him. She added a large global family of vampires who would spend every moment searching for the thing that was taken. Victoria would know Bella meant the agency and that every agent would be searching for her. The final twist was a large reward the vampires offered for only the head of the person who dared to cross them. Bella wanted Victoria to know they didn't care if she was caught dead or alive.

Edward was watching the minutes tick by on the clock, knowing Victoria was already far from San Francisco. He was slowly sinking into total despair and hoped Bella found something worth saving when she arrived.

Tanya checked out of the hospital and quickly moved underground, disappearing as only a ghost agent can. She wanted only one thing, to find Cade before Edward did.

15

Bella walked into the hospital and flashed her I.D. badge to the officer standing outside an office. He opened the door and she saw Edward leaning with his head against the wall as he spoke on his phone. She stepped into the room and he didn't look up, thinking it was just another officer or hospital personnel.

"Please, Em, I feel badly enough. Marry your woman and give mom and dad something happy to focus on. I'm fine." Bella realized he was talking to Emmett and wondered if they would actually go ahead with the wedding without Edward.

She walked over and wrapped her arms around the back of him. He stood erect and spoke quickly. "Bella's here, I'll call later."

He turned and collapsed into her, letting her body take the entire weight of him as he cried loudly in her neck. She held him tightly and her own tears fell freely. "I'm so sorry," she told him, unable to find any words to use as comfort.

"They're only stories," he said angrily. "People are dying and my son is gone because of stupid stories."

"It has nothing to do with the stories, she mentally ill. We're going to find Cade, I promise," she told him and prayed it was true.

"We couldn't find Victoria for two months; do you know how much Cade will change in two months?"

"We didn't have every agent looking for her, then. Jasper has a lead he feels is promising," Bella said and Edward pulled back and gave her a shocked look. "He told me. Is there anyone else in your life who's a fed?"

He actually smiled a little and said, "Bella, you should see him, God, he's beautiful."

"I'm sure he is, and I'll see him soon," she said feeling just a bit of jealousy and wishing Tanya would chose her career and let Edward raise their son. "Let me get you out of here, Edward. Have you eaten?"

He shook his head and suddenly couldn't stand the tight room he had spent the entire day in. He took her hand and they left the hospital. He had so many thoughts going through his mind and found it hard to follow one to a conclusion. He finally pulled Bella into his arms and let her body comfort him. She held him tightly and ran her fingers through his hair as he sighed from emotional fatigue.

"What sounds good," she asked meaning food.

"You, just you," he said softly and tightened his arms. She kissed him a couple of times and decided to drive thru some fast food place and take him to a hotel. The city was too big to feel any sense of control and it was something she felt he needed right now.

His phone rang constantly as he was updated by various people. Winston told him Tanya had disappeared but it wasn't news to Edward. He would think she was behind the kidnapping if he hadn't seen the pictures of Victoria himself. After he ate he finally turned to Bella to say what he had been dreading.

"I'm giving the agency one week, if Cade isn't found I'm going public. I'll leave you out of it if you want, but we'll have to stay away from each other for a bit."

"I'm with you all the way," Bella said, but deep down she hoped Jasper would find his son so she could keep her job. "Tanya won't be happy."

"I don't give a shit. If I can't convince her to come forward I'll say she died or something. I also want to return to Forks. It was Victoria's home, and someone has to know about her. I need to see Jacob again; I think he knows more than he was saying."

"Do you think he's in on it?" Bella asked, suddenly terrified for Edward and suspicious of everyone.

"I don't know, I'm not taking anything for granted," he looked at Bella with sad eyes and asked, "Do you think she'll take good care of him?"

Bella hesitated and it scared Edward so she hurried to explain. "Victoria and I talked about babies; she said they were too much trouble. I honestly think she would pass him on to someone else. She only wanted her revenge, not a child."

Edward lay on his back and held his head with his hands as the possibility his son had been sold worked its way into his mind. The world suddenly seemed so big and his chances of finding Cade shrunk considerably. Bella pulled him into her arms and held him until she heard him breathing steadily. She grabbed her laptop and looked at the reviews to her rushed story.

They were not too complimentary. She was told of many mistakes but she didn't care. It was the point she wanted to get across, not the story. One review stood out. It came from an anonymous source and said: _Vampires are not nearly as dangerous as they believe. They are confused by women too easily._

Every instinct Bella had told her it was Victoria. Her anger pulsated in her body and she looked over at Edward, sleeping peacefully. She quickly typed: _ At least they don't run, you coward._

Edward's phone rang and he stirred and reached for the cell. He glanced at the screen and answered with, "Hi mom." He listened for a moment and Bella noticed tears form in his eyes again. She rubbed his chest and he turned to look at her.

"I'm with Bella, so don't worry," he said and Bella smiled softly at him. "Tell Emmett how sorry I am, and tell Alice to stop whining. She doesn't have a ring on her finger so she can't make demands on Jasper."

Bella felt the sting of his words. Alice and Jasper had been together for a few years, and if she couldn't make demands on him just because she wasn't wearing a ring, Bella had no hold on Edward.

He hung up and rolled to lie across her lap. "What's Alice upset about?" Bella asked.

"The wedding is going ahead, but Jasper told her he is in Atlanta fishing with his father since he thought it was cancelled."

"Will he ever tell her he's an agent?" Bella asked.

"No, she still needs to graduate from college and work on her own career for a bit. By the time they marry he'll retire from the dangerous stuff."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Bella asked and Edward shook his head.

"I'm waiting to hear from Jasper and then I'm heading to Forks," he said and Bella nodded.

She didn't know why she was keeping the possible exchange with Victoria from Edward, but she honestly felt in her gut it was the right thing to do. She had a few of her own connections she could use to find someone's IP address. But, she knew Victoria would be first rate at hiding deeply in the web.

"I brought you some clothes," Bella said and nodded to the suitcase.

Edward stood and headed to the bathroom. After the toilet flushed she heard the shower turn on. Edward opened the door and looked at her, "Are you coming?"

Bella jumped up from the bed and ran toward the bathroom as she removed her clothing. It seemed like weeks since she felt his hands on her body, but this time it was different. His usually gentle touch was now urgent and needy. He was searching for a feeling more intense than his pain and she gave him everything she had. His passionate cries were loud and the brief moments of euphoria were quickly replaced by the reality of his situation.

He slid down the shower wall and sat on the floor as he tried to stop his shaking. Bella joined him on the floor and wrapped her arms around his body and held him as he breathed in and out loudly. "I love you," she told him and he nodded, feeling her love in every fiber of his body. He couldn't imagine going through this without her.

"I'm trying to be strong," he whispered. "It's taking everything I have."

"You can lean on me," she told him and hoped she had enough strength for them both.

They dressed in sleeping clothes and spent the evening in bed. Edward told her of every moment he spent with Cade, how he fed him and rocked him. He told her of Cade's similar chin and long fingers. He even laughed when he talked of his skinny legs and couldn't wait for Emmett to see them.

Bella could see how much Edward loved being a father and knew Cade would be a part of their lives forever when he was found. She felt her own arms grow anxious to hold the tiny boy and hoped he came home before growing too much.

They finally fell asleep and despite the stress, were able to sleep deeply. The heavy curtains kept the sun from filtering into the room and when a loud knock sounded it startled them both. Edward sat up and looked at his phone to see it was almost two in the afternoon. He jumped up and rushed to the door to find Winston standing with several agents.

"Is Bella with you?" Winston asked.

"Yeah," Edward said and opened the door wider to reveal Bella standing in the middle of the room. Her hair was a mess and she tried to cross her arms to hide her breast in the tight t-shirt without a bra.

Bella saw him first and her hand covered her mouth at the sight of Jasper's red, swollen eyes. Edward turned slowly to see his best friend step forward and lead the group of men into the room. Bella watched Edward closely and she could tell he was trying to stop anything from sinking in. His instincts were telling him one thing, but his heart was pleading for something else.

Winston spoke first. "Edward, have a seat, son."

Bella felt her knees go weak and she was having trouble breathing. Edward turned to Jasper, pleading with his eyes, as tears fell from down his friend's face. "I was too late," Jasper said with just a breath.

Edward's hand extended for Bella and she rushed to hold him tightly. "What?" he asked with a tight, soft voice.

"I brought him home to you, but I was too late," Jasper said after clearing his throat.

Edward looked at the agents who refused to meet his gaze and finally turned to Winston, "Where's my son?"

Winston took hold of Edward's face with both hands and said, "He's at the morgue. A coroner is checking him for cause of death."

Bella's soft cries filled the room and Edward tried to pull from Winston's strong arms, but the large man held onto him. "Son, I'm putting you on leave for six months. Bella will take you home to your parents. I've already spoken with them."

"No," Edward said without any volume in his voice. He struggled again to back away from the news he was receiving, but they wouldn't let him escape. Bella was being held by Jasper as she cried and the other agents moved in close to contain Edward if they had to.

Suddenly, without warning, Edward screamed into the air with the most agonizing cry. It sounded like a wounded animal and he feel to his knees, arching back to collapse onto the floor. Bella couldn't stand to see and hear the pain he was feeling and she buried her face in Jasper's chest.

Winston nodded to one of the agents and the man stepped forward with a syringe and injected Edward in the arm. His loud cries soon moved into soft moans and they lifted him from the floor and placed him on the bed.

Jasper walked over to sit next to his best friend and placed his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I got a good look at the man helping Victoria and we identified him as Laurent De Petit. She can't run to the island now, so it is only a matter of time until we find her."

"Cade was on the island?" Edward asked with a scary even tone.

"Yes," Jasper said as his voice cracked.

Edward turned to look at him and asked, "Where, exactly where was he on the island."

Jasper shook his head but Edward pushed him further, "I have to know, Jas."

"He was in a plastic bag, he was already dead when I got there," Jasper said and wiped his face.

"Garbage," Edward said and stared off at nothing. "She treated my son like garbage."

Winston's phone rang and he answered softly. He listened for a moment and his eyes got excited. "We got De Petit. An agent caught him in Argentina."

The men began pulling out their phones and rushed from the room. Edward stood and walked over to the table and picked up the ice bucket. "I'll be right back," he said softly and Bella nodded at him.

He walked out the door as Bella sat down and looked at Jasper. "Are you okay?" she asked him and he nodded slightly.

"I almost had the guy, but I saw the baby and let him run. I think they suffocated him," Jasper said with new tears.

Bella held up her hand to stop him from talking. She couldn't bear to hear another word. She was also sure the wedding wasn't going forward today. Taking Edward to his parents was the perfect plan. They had the medical expertise to care for him and surely get him the best counselor around. Bella was assuming Laurent would give up Victoria's whereabouts and the case would be closed.

She took a deep breath, drumming her fingers on the table and noticed her keys were gone from the dresser. She looked at the door and suddenly gasped and ran from the room. Jasper followed her, having the same realization, and they found the ice bucket lying in the parking lot where Bella's rental car used to be.


	6. Chapter 16 thru 18

16

Edward felt something click inside of him. His weakness was replaced by a new resolve. He had always played by the rules, hell he helped enforce the rules, but now it would be different. However twisted Victoria was in believing people who left bad reviews deserved to die, at least she had a reason. Killing Cade was without reason and Edward's need for revenge gave him a level of strength he never knew he had.

Going rouge was something the agency would never think possible when it came to Agent Cullen. He was steadfast and professional, mentally stable with a strong personal support system, but they never considered the love of a father.

Bella felt like he slapped her in the face. He didn't trust her, or couldn't depend on her, so he decided to work it alone. This hurt more than when Mike walked out with the young coed in tiny shorts. Jasper understood what Bella was feeling because he knew what it meant, too.

"Can you give me a ride to the airport," she asked softly.

"Sure," he said and she nodded a couple of times before going to the room to get her bag.

Edward stopped to get some clothes and then went past a bank to take out an advance on his credit card. He needed cash so his movements wouldn't be traced. His final stop was to purchase the book that started this whole mess. He knew Victoria's need to be attached to the book would make her movements obvious. She wasn't traveling the world, she was remaining close to Forks and Edward knew the book held clues to where she was.

He drove to Seattle before stopping and getting a room. The hotel was rundown and they didn't mind if he paid in cash. He collapsed onto the bed and opened the book to read.

Bella opened the door to her apartment and traces of Edward were everywhere. She ignored them all and went right to bed and pulled up FanNet. Her story had another review from an anonymous person. It read_: Vampires aren't the only ones who can take. We're even now._

Bella grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Hi, dad, I need a favor," she said as she tried to control her anger.

"Sure, how's your arm?" Charlie asked.

"Good, listen I need a hacker, someone good and discreet."

"I don't understand, are you looking for someone the feds can hire?" he asked still thinking his daughter worked in human resources.

"No, this is personal. I need someone to find where traffic is coming from on a certain website."

"Is this legal?" Charlie asked.

"Dad, this is the most important thing in my life. I only need a favor this one time," she said and tried to keep her tears from forming.

"Email me all the info, I know just the guy," he said.

Once he agreed she turned her attention back to the review. She wanted Victoria to be afraid and forced into making a mistake, so she typed: _The Vampires took down the Frenchman and since they never sleep you better watch your back._

Another review came quickly and said_: I'll take his other important connection and leave the Vampire with nothing._

Bella knew it was a direct threat for her own safety and she wanted nothing more than for Victoria to come after her. But she also knew it would be a paid assassin, not Victoria who would come, so she tried to kick it up a notch and lure her out of hiding.

_You take nothing; you're a coward who hides in a chair. Be a woman for once and do it yourself._

Bella waited for over an hour for another response but nothing came. She checked the locks and alarms and made sure her gun was loaded before climbing into bed.

On Monday morning Bella showed up at work to find she had been reassigned to an older woman named Karen. They were going to work a case of wire fraud and it took everything Bella had to simply read the case file. Every thought kept returning to Edward. She vacillated between anger at him for cutting her out of the hunt, and the hurt of him leaving her so easily.

Edward showed up in La Push and Jake appeared happy to see him. He wanted the chance to win back some money, but Edward's demeanor told him he wasn't there for cards. "I need some information, Jake. I hope you can tell me what I need?" Edward said and Jake opened the door for him to come inside. The two men sat at the kitchen table to talk over a beer.

"Tell me everything you know about Victoria, no matter how remote it seems," Edward said and Jake noticed a new coldness in him.

"She owns most of the land around here, except the reservation. It really pisses her off that she can't buy our land and send us packing. She isn't into native things," he said with a chuckle. "I know she hates the water."

"What water?" Edward asked.

"The ocean, she can't swim and won't even ride on a boat."

Edward thought about it and realized she wouldn't head to the island off of Brazil, so he could take that off his list.

"Have you ever seen her with anyone, a man?"

Jake shook his head and said, "She talks with the women around town about the vampire book. Most of the time she is with people who stay at her place."

"Do you know anything about her family?" Edward asked.

"No, they moved here from Canada, I think."

Edward couldn't help the slight smile that formed on his face. The vampires in the book had spent time in a remote area of Canada and he felt like he got his first clue.

Winston called Bella into his office and asked her to sit. "I'm asking you as your boss and friend, have you heard from Edward?"

She shook her head and looked down at her hands so he wouldn't see her cry.

"Do you have any idea where he went?" Winston pushed.

"No, he just left, but you did give him six months off, remember?" She wanted to hope he would return and his career wasn't over. A part of her wanted to believe he simply went somewhere to get his head back on straight, but Winston's next words told her that wasn't the case.

"He left his son's body. His parents had to come forward."

"What about Tanya?" Bella asked.

"Hell, she doesn't have one maternal bone in her body. She already wants another case."

Bella wasn't about to keep her mouth shut and cover for Tanya. "Winston, she set him up to get her pregnant. She should be punished for betraying a partner. She really messed him up badly."

The older man took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. "I know you don't want to hear this, but agents like Tanya don't come along too often. She's ruthless, unemotional, and vital to our operations. I'll pull her in to talk to her, but I can't fire her."

Winston's honestly caught Bella off guard. She wasn't sure she wanted to continue on with a career that valued people like Tanya. She felt the agency had made a choice and picked Tanya over Edward. Her loyalty to her trainer was still strong regardless of how he walked away when he needed her the most.

When she got home that night she pulled up FanNet, but nothing new had been put on her story. She considered putting vicious remarks on some other stories, but it was impossible to find the right words. She knew how much trepidation went into writing a story and she wouldn't hurt an author just to bring Victoria out.

Instead she decided to write another story. This one was about a father's love. She made the vampire a father and built a deep bond with his half human child before someone took the baby and killed it for being half vampire. Bella sobbed through the entire writing process and felt like she was betraying Edward for loading it. But she needed something to focus on. Her days were only hours spent missing Edward and the nights were an ache she needed medication to make it through.

Edward had made his way to a small logging town in Canada. It was the closest thing to the description in the book he could find. He stopped by the small newspaper and looked up the last name Howard. He was buoyed when he found the Howard family did indeed own land in the area.

When the sun set he found a crowded bar and joined a table playing poker. He sipped his drink so he could stay sober enough to catch the conversation. After purposefully losing a few hands he casually asked, "I worked for a logging company in Washington, owned by the Howard Company."

"They used to run a place up here, my father worked for them," a young man volunteered.

"I remember Mr. Howard's daughter, Victoria, she was hot," Edward said with a smile, but bile was rising in his throat.

"She comes around once in a while," another man offered. "She's a man slinger or possibly a lesbian."

All the men at the table laughed and Edward tried to keep his hands from shaking. He waited for a couple of more hands to be played before asking, "Do the Howard's still have a house around here?"

"Yeah, up the canyon. It's pretty remote."

He continued to play until he made his money back but left the table on good terms with the other men. He went back to the small room he had rented and waited for sunrise to come. He spent close to an hour looking at the pictures on his phone of Cade. He had thirty missed calls and only kept the phone because of the pictures.

His mind traveled to Bella and he pushed her image away. He had one mission, and couldn't take the chance of destroying her with his vendetta.

Bella couldn't sleep and decided to read some FanNet stories. She flipped through some of the story summaries looking for anything that caught her eye. She wanted something upbeat, but not a love story, her heart was still too raw.

One finally caught her eye and she was up most of the night reading.

Edward woke at dawn and walked to the small diner serving breakfast. A pretty girl handed him a menu and he smiled at her causing her to blush. "Sweetheart, do you know how to get to the Howard's place up the canyon?"

"Sure, do you want me to show you?" she asked and swayed as she spoke.

"Why don't you make me a map, and I'll come back for lunch," he offered.

"I don't work during lunch," she said with a sad face and Edward winked at her causing the smile to return.

"Then you'll have to eat with me," he said and she sat across from him and quickly began drawing on a napkin. He left an extra-large tip, to make up for the fact he would be standing her up.

He drove up the canyon and left the car about two miles south of the location, hiking the rest of the way. He had been anticipating this moment for two weeks, but he didn't plan on dragging it out. He wasn't interested in hearing her excuses or pleas. He planned on getting in and out as quickly as possible, leaving as little evidence as he could, and burying Victoria so deeply her body would never be found.

He came up to the house and saw a light was on upstairs. He made his way to the back of the house and found a walkout basement and several window wells. He climbed into one and easily broke the window lock. He held his breath as he slid the window open and hoped an alarm didn't sound. His long body climbed through the window into a basement bedroom.

He made his way slowly up the stairs and listened at the door for any noise. It was quiet so he turned the knob and peeked through the door to see a large kitchen. He could smell coffee and hear it percolating in a machine.

Victoria walked into the room and he instantly pulled the door back to an almost closed position. She poured a cup of coffee and walked over to the table and sat down in front of a computer. Edward pulled his gun from the holster attached to his leg and stepped into the kitchen. His hand rose slowly until it was even with the back of Victoria's head. A loud blast came from nowhere and Victoria's head slumped forward and blood splattered onto the laptop.

Bella found the story she was reading oddly disturbing. It was about a baby who had been saved from the vampires and making a sterile woman's dream of motherhood come true. For some reason Bella's gut was telling her this meant… something. She finally looked up the author's profile and gasped loudly.

"Oh my God," she yelled and threw on her clothes and rushed to the airport to purchase a ticket to Seattle. She dialed Edward's phone as she waited for her flight, but it was turned off, still. She needed Jasper and decided to call Alice for his number. Bella was nervous and not sure if Alice would want to hear from her or not.

"Hello," a high voice came from the phone.

"Hi, Alice, this is Bella…um…Edward's friend," she explained awkwardly.

"Hi, how are you?" Alice answered.

"Good, I have an odd request. Would you be able to give me Jasper's phone number?"

"He's in Atlanta with his father and they are out of cell range. He calls me every night," Alice said.

"Can you have him call me?" Bella asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I need his advice on a history class."

"Sure," Alice said, "Have you talked to Edward?"

"No, I'm sure he just needs some time," Bella said and prayed her hunch turned out to be right. "Did Rose find a new dress?"

Alice huffed in a disgusted way, "She could marry in a slip and still look gorgeous."

"Yeah, what a bitch," Bella teased and Alice laughed loudly. "I have to run; remember to have Jasper call me."

"Okay, take care, Bella."

Bella shut off her phone and boarded the plane.

17

Edward spun around to see Tanya standing on the other side of the kitchen. She holstered her weapon and shook her head at him before walking up to Victoria and making sure she was indeed dead. She walked over the sink and turned to lean against it and crossed her arms.

"Go away, Edward, before you end up in trouble."

His eyes were watching everything but his mind was having a hard time processing it. He wasn't sure if Tanya killed Victoria for revenge or if she was following orders. "Do you know about Cade?" he asked when he finally found his voice.

"Yes," she answered without any emotion.

Edward chuckled without humor and shook his head, "Calm down," he said cynically.

"It seems you're emotional enough for the both of us," she said. "Look, Edward, this is over now, so go home and try to get your head on straight. You're a good agent and you are really close to ruining it."

"Was this an ordered hit?" he asked and looked over at Victoria.

"You know better than to ask me," she chastised and pulled out a cigarette. He watched her take a deep puff and heard her sigh, "God, I missed these."

He felt sick to his stomach and glared at her until she met his gaze. "Boy, you're a piece of work aren't you? I thought I really knew you, but I don't have a clue who you are."

"I'm exactly what this agency needs, Edward. When sick fucks like Victoria are paying people to kill, you need someone else paid to kill. I'm paid more, and I'm better at killing. As much as the thought of people like me sickens you, I save lives. The killers are patsy's and Victoria had to be taken out to make the killings stop."

"She killed our son," he pointed out.

"She killed my son, because of you. I haven't forgotten and yeah, it kind of made this a bit sweeter. Now will you go so I can finish my job?" Edward walked slowly to the back door as he tried to process everything. He reached for the knob and Tanya called out to him. "Edward, you didn't do this, I did, remember that, okay?"

She wanted to spare him the guilt and slow destruction of taking a life out of revenge but at the moment he couldn't understand it. He knew her other words were true, Cade was dead because of him.

Bella landed in Seattle and rented a car to head to Forks. She had been driving for half an hour when Jasper called. "I'm assuming you're not really interested in a history class," he said with a chuckle.

"No, I'm not; listen, when you found the baby how did you know it was Cade?"

"Victoria owns the house, the baby was a newborn, and the French guy admitted he was paid to kill the baby," Jasper said and Bella felt all her hope fade away. "Why, Bella?"

"I need to check something out, it is most likely nothing, but I need to be able to contact you." He gave her another number and told her she can reach him at anytime. They both asked about Edward at the same time knowing he was still hiding.

They hung up and Bella realized she was chasing a fantasy, trying desperately to fix Edward's world for him.

Edward drove all day and showed up at the Seattle airport. He turned in the car and bought a ticket to Chicago. He needed to go home, and Virginia didn't feel like home anymore. For the first time he let his mind settle on Bella. He knew he walked away without telling her his plan to spare her from being an accomplice, but there was more to it.

She was fresh and trusting, too good for the world she ended up in. He felt being an agent was a big mistake for her. He would end up teaching her how awful the world really was, or breaking her heart. He couldn't stand the thought of either one.

Bella tried to make her heart let go of Edward, but she couldn't. There was something basically good in him and she felt it in every touch. As much as she wanted Victoria to pay for what she did, the idea of Edward becoming a killer hurt her heart. She pulled into the small, familiar town and drove right to the diner.

She took a seat at the bar and waited for a waitress to come for her order. It wasn't the waitress she was wanting. "Is Angela working today?" Bella asked.

"She doesn't work here anymore," the girl said with irritation.

"I'll have a burger and a cup of coffee," Bella said so the girl would know a tip depended on her civility.

Bella waited for the waitress to return with her coffee before pressing her for more information. "I'm an old acquaintance of Angela's. Has she left town completely or just got a different job?"

"She still lives here, she just quit," the girl replied and then walked away.

Bella left her alone until she finished eating her burger and then pulled a twenty from her pocket. She held it up and smiled at the girl before asking. "Do you know where Angela lives?"

The girl let her eyes wander a bit and then grabbed the twenty and put it in her apron pocket. She leaned onto the counter to speak quietly. "The small white house behind the church on the corner of Park and Third."

"Thanks," Bella said and continued sipping her coffee as she formed a plan. She wanted to wait for the incoming rain so she wouldn't be seen or heard. She didn't plan on confronting Angela; she just wanted to make sure she didn't have a baby to care for.

The car stopped a street before the church and Bella opened her umbrella and began a slow leisurely walk. When she got to the driveway she walked up to the car in the driveway and looked in to see a child's car seat. She looked at the house and noticed an upstairs apartment and a downstairs apartment, so maybe it wasn't Angela's car.

She finally walked up to the stairs and knocked on the door. She rang the doorbell when nobody answered, but there was no movement inside the house. Making her way to the back of the house Bella tiptoed past the basement windows and made her way to the back porch. She looked inside the window and saw a dark kitchen with no sign of bottles or a baby.

It was then she heard a crying infant downstairs. She checked her gun and made her way to the basement door and knocked. The baby continued crying and Bella tried the open door. She walked inside slowly and followed the sound of a baby crying to the back bedroom. She glanced at a pink nursery and felt her heart fall in despair.

Angela saw her in a mirror and turned around holding her daughter protectively in her arms. "I'm sorry, I knocked and heard the baby crying," Bella said as she tried to cover.

"What do you want?" Angela asked.

"I was in town and wanted to say hi. A girl at the diner told me where you live, I didn't mean to scare you" Bella said and tried to smile when her heart was aching.

"Why are you in town?" Angela asked nervously and Bella began to feel something in her gut. Angela was defensive and guarded, not like she was worried about an intruder, but worried about something else.

"We came to see Jacob Black, my husband became quite friendly with him," she said and Angela's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Bella's eyes were drawn to the child wearing a little dress and noticed the long skinny legs. "Your baby's beautiful," she said and Angela only nodded. "May I hold her?"

"I want you to leave," Angela said with a harsh tone and Bella nodded as she reached behind her back for the gun.

She pulled it out and pointed it at the terrified woman. "I'm really sorry, but I need you to remove your daughter's diaper. I swear I'll leave but you have to show me the baby is a girl."

"Are you insane? Get out," Angela demanded and Bella cocked the gun.

"You have to the count of ten, and then I'm taking the baby with me," Bella threatened and tears began falling from Angela's eyes. "One, two, three, four…."

"Stop," Angela screamed. "Please don't take him."

"Oh God," Bella mumbled and felt her heart beating wildly. "Honey, listen to me. His father loves him very much. He needs him to come home. You can adopt another baby, legally."

"He's mine, I love him, too."

"I know you do, honey. Maybe you can work something out with his father. The baby's name is Cade and he is loved very much. The father will let you still see him, I'm sure he will," Bella lied to keep her hoping.

Angela looked down and the baby and Bella took the opportunity to dial 911. "Angela, you have a nice basement apartment on Third, right behind the church. It is a nice place to raise a baby, so I'm sure the father will let you see him sometimes." Bella hoped the operator got the information and officers were on their way.

"She told me I could have him, but I had to dress him as a girl until I moved."

"He isn't Victoria's to give. He belongs somewhere and people are crying for him."

"She saved him," Angela said and began to cry.

"No, she stole him. Honey, look at me. You can have a baby of your own, but Cade needs his daddy."

She finally nodded as tears fell down her cheeks and onto the pink blanket. Bella motioned for her to put the baby in the crib and as they walked out to the living room officers arrived. Bella showed them her ID and rushed back to pick up Cade in her arms. She was trying not to hyperventilate as she removed the tiny dress and walked out with him in a t shirt and diaper.

Bella held the baby in her arms as she told the Police Chief the story and why she was in Forks looking for a baby. Winston got on the phone and verified everything Bella said, then telling her to bring the baby to Langley as they tried to find Edward.

Bella drove to Seattle and couldn't force herself to purchase a ticket to Virginia, so she bought one for Chicago. Paternity test could be performed there just as easily as Langley and Cade needed to be with family. She also wanted the baby in Edward's arms not Tanya's as they worked everything out to share custody.

He was fussy on the flight and Bella walked the aisle of the plane with him as much as possible. He finally quieted and she stared at his face seeing so much of Edward in him. She tried to imagine what she would say to the Cullens as she placed their grandchild in their arms and wished Edward would be there to welcome him home.

When she landed in Chicago it was late so she got a hotel room and called Jasper. She explained everything to him and he sat quietly on the other end of the phone. "Bella, Victoria is dead," he told her.

"Oh God," she cried, "Did Edward kill her?"

"No..um…shit," he said wanting to tell her something but knowing he wasn't authorized to do it.

"It's okay, Jasper, as long as Edward didn't do it."

"Bella, I'm saying this as his friend, not a coworker, but there is no reason to search for Tanya. Do you hear what I'm saying; Edward can take his son home?"

Bella took a deep breath and finally said, "It's his decision, not mine."

Cade began to cry and Bella hung up to make him a bottle. She was exhausted and being up with a baby would have been too much if it had been any other baby. The joy of looking at Cade and knowing what it would mean to Edward kept her alert. She was able to catch a few hours of sleep before his next feeding and decided to head out to find him something proper to wear before taking him to his grandparents. She found an open Wal-mart and got him a few outfits and some more formula and diapers before driving to the Cullens.

She walked to the front door, tired and full of emotion and rang the door bell. Alice answered and threw the door open wide, "Bella, come in, I'll get Edward," she said and then hesitated when she saw the baby carrier.

"Edward's here?" Bella gasped.

"Yeah, he got here last night, you didn't know?" She said and kept her eyes on the carrier.

"Alice, I'll go to the library and can you send your mom and dad to talk to me. Don't let Edward know I'm here just yet."

Alice nodded and Bella picked up the carrier and shopping bags and went right to the library. In a few moments Carlisle and Esme walked in with confused faces. Bella purposefully sat the baby on the side of the couch and motioned for them both to take a seat.

"I'm not sure how to say this, so I'll just come out with it. The baby found in Brazil wasn't Cade. I found him and brought him home. You'll want to do DNA tests I'm sure, but I can promise you this is Edward's son."

They both continued to stare at her so she walked over and got the baby from the carrier and handed him to Esme. She looked down at his face as tears fell from her eyes. "Is Edward in his room?" Bella asked and they both nodded so she left them with the baby and headed up the stairs.

His room was dark and he was lying on the bed asleep. She walked over and ran her fingers through her hair and his eyes opened. She didn't recognize the eyes he looked at her with. They were blank and distant, almost like he wasn't really looking at her at all.

"Edward," she said with just a whisper. "I need to tell you something."

18

Bella waited for him to say something and it took him several minutes but he finally sat up and moved to the side of the bed. He looked broken, and emotionally drained. Surely, his parents would be able to help him find his way back to being whole again, for his son's sake.

"I'm…done," he said with a soft voice and Bella smiled at him.

"You can't be done, there is something you have left to do," Bella told him.

He shook his head and refused to hear her words so she sat next to him and took hold of his hand.

"Edward, I was reading a story on FanNet and…"

"Stop," he said forcefully and pulled his hand from hers.

She got on her knees in front of him and held tightly to his thighs as she spoke louder. "Jasper assumed Edward, he assumed the baby was Cade, but he was wrong."

Edward's eyes rose to look into Bella's so she continued on. "I read a story that made me suspicious so I went to Forks and found Angela with your son. He's downstairs with your parents and he needs you."

His mouth opened and he tried to speak but nothing came out. Bella could tell his mind was trying to process what she was telling him so she stood and held out her hand. "I'll take you to him," she said and he reached slowly for her hand.

She pulled him from the bed and led him from the room trying to make him quicken his pace. When they got to the stairs his parents were standing at the bottom with the baby in Esme's arms. Carlisle looked up at Edward and said, "Son, he looks exactly like you."

Tears filled Edward's eyes and Bella gave him a slight push to encourage him, "Go see for yourself, Edward."

He made his way down the staircase keeping his eyes on the baby the entire time. Alice was standing in the living room doorway with her own tears falling. Esme held out the baby and Edward stared at the familiar jaw and long thin legs. "Oh God," he whispered and reached out to take his son. He pulled him to his chest as he fell onto his knees in loud sobs. His parents wrapped their arms around him to hold him up as he clung to his child.

Bella wiped her own tears and made her way down the long staircase. This was a family reunion and she was simply the agent bringing their baby home. She gave Alice a quick hug and then headed out the door.

When she got back to Virginia she went right to the office and found Winston. He gave her a glaring look and got up to shut the door behind her. "You didn't follow orders," he said sternly.

"Yeah, well the agency pretty much fucked up this entire case, so excuse me if I did the right thing instead of following orders."

He sat back and bit on his pen for a minute and then said, "He's not coming back."

"I know, he has a son to raise."

"What about you?" he asked and Bella looked down for a moment and finally said, "Yeah, I'm back."

"Can I put you on a case?" he asked. "And make you a senior."

She smiled and chuckled a bit. "Yeah, you can."

"I have a surveillance case to put you on. Your junior is annoying as hell, but he's great with technology," Winston chuckled and it gave her pause. She was sure the junior was not going to be easy to work with, it would be the only reason she would be promoted after disobeying orders so quickly.

"When do I leave?" she asked and was grateful she was unpacked.

"Tonight, you'll catch a flight at nine to the Hamptons."

She nodded and left to get a bit of sleep before leaving again. She was exhausted and fell into bed with her clothes still on. She slept until seven and then got a bag packed and headed off to the airport to meet her new partner.

He walked toward her and she cringed, "Oh God," she mumbled and watched him turn his cap to the side and swagger toward her. "Hi, I'm Bella," she said.

"Yo, I'm Peter," he said and looked her up and down.

"Rule one, my eyes are up here, piss ant," Bella said hatefully.

"Yeah, yeah, totally," he laughed.

"I'm going to get some water, do you want anything?"

"Naw, I got a spritzer," he said and walked away as Bella tried to figure out what in the hell a spritzer was.

She went to the little store and opened the cooler for a bottle of cold water just as the store became packed from a plane landing. She rushed to the counter at the exact same time as another traveler did and was sideswiped and knocked to the ground.

"I'm sor…" the man started and then froze when he saw it was Bella.

"Edward," she said with just a whisper.

He reached out to help pick her up off the ground and then angrily said, "You left."

"I had to, I mean I brought him, I mean…you didn't ask me to stay," she said just as angrily.

"I was a little messed up if you recall," he whispered and pulled her arm toward the waiting area. The clerk called out and she hurried to set the water down and ran back out to Edward. She was confused as to why he was here and wondered if he was coming back to the agency.

"Are you arriving?" he asked.

"No, I'm heading to a new case," she said and he looked shocked. His mouth fell open and then his jaw tightened in anger. He looked down the long walkway and Bella finally spoke up.

"Why are you here, Edward," she asked and watched him wince a bit.

"I don't know," he said and shook his head.

"Are you coming back to the agency?" she asked.

"No, I have to take care of my son. I'm going to live with my folks for awhile. I need to pack up my apartment."

"I think that is great. Cade is lucky to have you," Bella said and smiled as she touched his arm.

"Well, be careful with this assignment," he said awkwardly and began backing away.

Peter walked up and stood by Bella as she watched Edward walk away and out of her life. Her eyes filled with tears and when her flight was called she turned and headed to the plane.

She had the ending for her story. The man saved her, and she saved the most important thing in his life but lost him because of it. He moved on to another phase of his life and she returned to hers. It wasn't a big romantic ending promising to bring them happiness forever. It was an experience to make them stronger and life goes on.

Peter chatted throughout the flight but she couldn't remember a word he said. She had no interest in his life or anything about him, so she never bothered to ask. A van was rented for them and equipped with everything they needed. They would essentially live in the thing for the next few days, possibly a week.

Peter set up all the surveillance equipment and had to instruct Bella how to use it over and over again. They took three hour shifts and when she wasn't watching the monitors she wrote a new story. This one was her true experience with Edward. She made them IRS auditors instead of Feds, coming to Forks to audit the Vampire family.

She laughed at how much the comments were so close to what she had been feeling. They were telling the character to come out with her feelings, and to jump the guy already. They also felt the heart ache she felt when he told her of the pregnancy, and cheered her on when she went in search of his child.

She had just loaded the last chapter when Peter kicked her leg and pointed at the screen. I think we have something. Bella looked up to see Jasper climb out of a car and walk toward the building they had under surveillance.

Peter began playing with a bunch of knobs and marking Jasper's image with checks and dots. "What are you doing?" Bella asked.

"I'm making him invisible," he said as if Bella was stupid. She wasn't sure if Peter knew who Jasper was or not. He went inside the building and they waited for something but the screen remained empty. Bella was dying to talk to Jasper and see how Edward was doing, but if he was working a case she couldn't approach him.

All of the sudden police began surrounding the place and Bella jumped out of her seat and grabbed her secure phone to call Winston. She was stunned when Winston asked to speak to Peter. They spoke for a few minutes and Peter messed around with the equipment and finally handed her back the phone.

"Winston, you should know an agent went in but we don't show him coming out." She crossed her fingers she didn't end up getting Jasper in trouble.

"You don't know what you're talking about Bella," Winston said harshly.

"I'm not trying to gain information, I'm just letting you know," she said with her own anger.

"I'm sure you were mistaken," Winston said and she wondered if he thought she was not using a secure line. Her eyes wandered over to the screen Peter had up and it showed a still shot of a different man walking into the building, not Jasper. "Bella, give the officers the suspect's information and then the case can be turned over to local authorities."

She looked at Peter as she hung up the phone and asked, "Did you know this was what you would be doing?"

"Don't go all female on me," he said and sat back in his chair as he chewed on his straw.

"But, I'm senior," she said softly and he laughed. She felt stupid and used, not to the degree Edward had been used, but it was betrayal all the same. Winston set her up to give local police a wrong lead, to either set up someone or keep them from solving something. Either way, she wasn't going to play his game when her own father was a policeman.

"I'm not giving the officers shit," she said to Peter.

He printed the photo and opened the van door before saying, "Then I will."

Bella threw all of her stuff into her bag and got out of the van to hail a cab. She was going home to think about things before coming to a conclusion about staying on as an agent or not. She wanted to be far from Peter and hoped he didn't catch up with her at the airport.

It was a short flight and she made it home in less than two hours. She considered calling Jasper, but he wouldn't tell her anything, he seemed to like his job. She desperately wanted to call Edward, but he was focused on his son, as he should be. She finally took a hot bath and drank some wine to calm down.

After fixing some food she pulled out her computer to see if the ending to her story surprised people or left them wanting more. She wasn't expecting the comments she got. Every single one spoke about how stupid the character was for not realizing he came back for her. She let him walk away when he wanted her to fall into his arms. Bella quickly went to the last chapter of the story to see if she had made it sound differently from how it really happened. She read word for word the actual airport scene, nothing was changed or embellished.

Her heart began to race at the thought he may have returned for her, surely she wouldn't have missed it. There was only one way to find out, so she got up and began to pack a bag.

Her flight left first thing the following morning and she had all night to plan out what she wanted to say. If she quit the agency they would both be unemployed, but she would be willing to find something in Chicago just to be closer to Edward. Companies paid top dollar for employees with her security clearance.

She planned to tell him she still loved him, and didn't care what he had worked out with Tanya, if he was a package deal she wanted them both.

She rented a car and drove to his home as her palms sweat and her heart raced. This was terrifying, much more than being threatened by James, this was her heart she was laying out there. The driveway was blocked by a moving van carrying boxes into the house, obviously Edward's stuff.

She got out of the car just as Edward walked out the door, dressed in jeans and a simple white t-shirt. He had a baseball hat on and was looking down as he made his way to the truck. She walked over to the large open doors and when he turned with a box in his hands, she smiled up at him.

He froze and she noticed how tired he looked. "I came to help you unpack," she said with tears in her eyes.

Someone came up behind her and she gasped loudly to see Jasper dressed in old clothes and helping with the move.

"Hello, Bella," he said casually.

"Man, you seem to be just about everywhere," Bella said and he never even flinched. He was good, she had to admit it. He took the box from Edward and left them alone to talk.

Edward walked over and sat on the back of the moving truck and looked at her before speaking just to fill the silence. "Um, Cade is doing really well, he loves being the center of attention around here."

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"Good, I have my six month's severance so I'm not too stressed just yet."

"Did you work things out with Tanya?" she asked and he let his head drop. "If you're not going to tell her, I'm not saying a word."

He glanced around to see if anyone was within hearing distance and said softly, "I watched her shoot Victoria right in the head and then smoke a cigarette. I don't want her near my son."

"Tanya killed her?" Bella gasped and realized if Jasper couldn't tell her than it was an ordered hit. Now she knew what Winston meant by needing someone like Tanya around, she didn't need revenge for the death of her son, just payment and an order.

Edward rubbed his eyes and she smiled, knowing he most likely wouldn't let anyone help with his sons care and insisting he do it on his own. She put her hand on his thigh and when he looked at her she moved to stand between his legs.

"Do you have a minute, I have some things I need to say," she said and took a deep breath.


	7. Chapter 19 and 20

19

Two men with dollies came toward the truck so Edward took Bella's hand and led her to a back veranda where they sat on a bench swing. She appreciated the privacy, but it seemed much more intimate than the open truck and she crossed her arms to keep her hands from shaking.

"What did you want to say," Edward asked to encourage her to speak. He had decided no matter what she said he was going to beg her to stay and give him a chance, even though he had no job and a child that needed his attention. It had been brutal without her and he wasn't letting her out of his sight again.

"I want to know if you came to Virginia to pack up your apartment, or to see if we had anything to salvage between us." She refused to look at his face and was unconsciously holding her breath.

"Until talking to you at the airport, I never gave my apartment a thought," he admitted and she finally raised her head to look at him.

"I didn't understand," she explained. "I thought you walked out on the possibility of us when you left San Francisco. Then when you said you came to pack your apartment it was telling me goodbye."

"I left in San Francisco because I was going to find Victoria and kill her. I couldn't bring you along for that and I was afraid you would be able to stop me. I was so blinded by my pain and I thought it made you not want me anymore." He reached over and took her arm to pull it from its crossed position and held her hand in his. "Why did you leave after bringing Cade to me?"

"You had a lot of decisions to make, and I didn't want to add to your burden. I thought you would call but when you came to Virginia to pack, I thought it meant we were over." Bella realized how silly it sounded when she said it, but at the time it all made sense.

"What made you come now?" he asked.

She shook her head and laughed as she blushed. "I wrote a story about it, and all the comments told me you came to Virginia for me and I was too stupid to see it. If the readers are wrong, just tell me and I'll get out of your way."

He chuckled and asked, "Was I a vampire?"

"Yes," Bella lied and they both laughed loudly.

He finally took a deep breath and looked out at the trees lining the yard. His whole life had been turned upside down and he wasn't sure what he had to offer Bella to entice her to stay. If she wanted him, it meant becoming an instant mother, and that was a lot of pressure.

"Would you leave the agency?" he finally asked her so they would have a place to start when talking about a life together.

"I already have. I can't be an agent, it isn't for me," she admitted and felt like a bit of a failure.

"Yeah," he said as he shook his head. "I think Vampires are less brutal."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"If I kissed you right now, would you let me?" he asked and turned to face her.

"I'd only wonder what took you so long," she smiled and he leaned in and kissed her softly. They both inhaled and began moving their arms around each other until they were grasping tightly. When his tongue entered her mouth she moaned and felt tears fall from her closed eyes.

She imagined this, but it wasn't anything close to the actual feeling. He never let himself imagine it, terrified he would never feel it again. His arms were a bit too tight around her but he couldn't force himself to loosen them. The sound of a baby crying somewhere in the distance brought them back to their senses.

"May I introduce you properly to my son," he smiled and she stood, anxious to see how much he changed in just over a week.

They walked quickly to the house and upstairs to find Esme tending to the baby. She looked up to see Bella and rushed to hug her. "I didn't get to thank you for everything you did for us," she said holding onto Bella tightly.

"I'm just glad he's home where he belongs," Bella answered and tried to wipe her own tears. Edward had picked up Cade and was rocking him in his arms as he waited for his mother to let go of Bella.

Esme smiled and left the room so Edward walked up to Bella and said, "Cade, this is the prettiest, bravest woman in the world and I love her. Bella, this is my son."

She reached out for the baby and pulled him into her arms. "We're old friends, aren't we Cade?" She looked up at Edward and said, "He hates flying, just so you know."

"How did you find him," Edward asked, finally ready to really hear the explanation.

"I was reading a story and something felt familiar, or maybe off, would be a better description. When I looked up the author it was Angela. My gut told me the baby in the story was Cade, so I went to Forks. She was passing him off as a girl as she prepared to move."

"God, I came so close to losing him forever," Edward said as he rubbed the soft hair on Cade's head. "I was in Forks and my gut never told me anything."

"I told you to read the book," she teased and he tensed a bit.

"I read it, and that's how I found Victoria. She was hiding in a family cabin in Canada, like the vampires in the story."

"You were a good agent," Bella said.

"You were a great agent," Edward replied.

"Now we're only unemployed," she laughed and he leaned over to kiss the woman holding his son so lovingly.

"Edward," Jasper called for him downstairs. He walked to the balcony and Jasper motioned for him to come down and tell them where to put something.

"You go, I'll take care of the baby. Is it time for him to eat?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, his bottles and formula are in the kitchen," he said and walked down the stairs with her.

When she turned to head to the kitchen Edward stopped and watched her walk, feeling his life was just now starting. He thought he would be moving his life into the basement to put everything on hold, but now he felt a sense of newness that was exciting and soothing at the same time.

Bella made a bottle and sat in a rocker to feed Cade and sing softly to him. Esme joined her and sat on the sofa. "I'm glad you came, Edward was so distraught when he came back from Virginia."

"I love him very much," Bella admitted. "My life was so sad without him."

"We're trying to talk him into medical school. He has the grades to get in and his gentle nature would make a great physician. We have to small apartment in the basement and we don't mind him staying there for years. It will give us access to our grandson," she said trying to convince Bella and not her son.

"I think Edward could do just about anything," Bella said with a smile. "But I have to know the answer to this question; does he have a gambling problem?"

"Are you asking if he cheats?" Esme said with a smile.

"Yes, I am."

"Is counting cards cheating?"

"Yes," Bella answered and Esme shook her head.

"It isn't illegal at any casino, only discouraged. Carlisle taught the boys as a fun lesson, Edward took right to it, he can side count and complex count just as quickly as he can single count. He doesn't use it for financial gain and usually only wins enough to get the information he was looking for. Emmett never could quite get it, but maybe his biological mother wasn't astute with numbers."

"Edward told me you used and egg donor," Bella said and Esme smiled widely.

"I just want you to know a child you raise feels like yours, no matter whose blood it has. If you raise Cade, he is your son, Bella."

"I feel like Edward and I are jumping into the middle of our lives and we skipped the whole beginning," Bella admitted and looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"I guess you have to ask yourself if you want to start at the middle, or not at all," Esme said with a worried look.

"Oh the middle, definitely," Bella said quickly and Esme laughed.

"Why don't I watch Cade tonight, so you and Edward can go out and have some privacy? He needs to get away for a night and relax."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Edward said as he entered the room, just looking at him sent Bella's heart into overdrive, but the prospect of having him to herself all night made her almost giddy. He took Cade and handed him to Esme before holding out a hand to Bella. "Come see where we'll be living."

She noticed he said 'we' and she felt a bit awkward but also very relieved. But they had a lot to work out and she was getting ahead of herself. Edward led her to the basement and showed her a nice two bedroom apartment with its own entrance. His furniture was in place and boxes were pilled against one wall. Even in his moving he was organized.

When he showed her the master bathroom he opened the shower door and said, "I'm going to shower, do you want to keep me company?"

"I will if you go out to my rental car and get my bag," she said and he spun around to run out the door. She laughed and turned on the shower before removing her clothes and climbing in. When he climbed in she couldn't help but notice how much better he looked. His eyes were bright and he had a smile plastered to his face.

She grabbed him into her arms and pulled him to her body. "I love you, Edward," she said, overcome with emotion.

His mouth went right to her ear and he whispered, "Those words fixed everything, I love you, too."

They both figured things would go a lot slower this evening, but for right now their need for each other won out over tenderness. They used the shower walls to toss each other against and had unrestrained, rushed sex. They were both breathing loudly and trying to remain standing when every ounce of energy had been poured into the other.

Edward reached up for the shampoo and handed it to Bella. He turned to give her more room and she noticed the scratches she left on his back. "Oh my God," she gasped. "I made you bleed."

He glanced over his shoulder and said with a sexy voice, "You can make me bleed anytime, love."

She stepped closer and kissed his marks but was interrupted by someone knocking on the bathroom door. "Just a minute," Edward yelled and Bella looked at him to ask, "Will they usually knock before coming down here?"

Edward laughed loudly and nodded, "Yeah, eventually."

He got out of the shower and toweled off before stepping from the room. When Bella finished and shut off the water she could hear Emmett's loud voice. She really hoped Rosalie wasn't with him to see her looking like a wet rat. She tried to dry her hair which had turned into wet curls, and dressed to walk into the living room.

Emmett jumped up and pulled her into his arms, spinning her around several times. "Welcome back," he said.

"Thanks, did I miss the wedding?" Bella asked.

"No, I'm ready to tell Rosie to give my ring back if she doesn't find the right damn dress," he said sadly.

"Suck it, Em," Rose said as she walked through the door. "The ring isn't all that great anyway."

Rosalie looked at Bella and gave her a quick smile. "I heard you came back for dickless here, thank God we don't have to watch him mope around anymore."

"I swear she climbed out of a well after Emmett watched a movie," Edward said under his breath and Bella smacked his arm.

"Let's all do something tonight," Emmett said and Rosalie actually looked a bit excited. Bella didn't want to tell them she was looking forward to a night alone with Edward, but she didn't have to when Edward smiled at her and shook his head. He was still wondering if he was actually dreaming, and not willing to share his dream with his brother.

"Bella and I have plans," Edward said and she smiled back as she stared into his eyes. Everything was so up in the air and they would both have to make decisions a lot quicker than if the situation was different. Being with Edward meant moving into the basement apartment and becoming an instant mother. Edward wasn't sure if he was pushing Bella too quickly. They didn't know that much about each other but he was ready to commit for forever.

Edward had so many places he wanted to take Bella and let her experience the city of Chicago, but they needed privacy where they could talk and spend several hours alone. He finally decided on his father's medical office. It had a great view of the lake and they could pick up food and have a picnic in front of the huge glass windows.

Bella loved the idea of a casual night out and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before feeding Cade and rocking him to sleep. Edward couldn't help but watch her every move. She was loving with his son and able to calm him quickly when he fussed. When Esme suggested they put the baby in his crib and she would listen for him with the monitor they both said, "No," at the same time. After what they had gone through, they would never take chances where Cade was concerned.

20

"There's one last strawberry," Edward said, "Do you want it?"

Bella reached out and picked it up before walking on her knees to position herself right in front of him. She held up the fruit and when Edward reached for it with his tongue she pulled it back.

"Are you teasing me?" he said and licked his lips as he stared at hers.

"I just want to see how badly you want it," Bella said and he lunged at her, sending her onto her back and took the entire strawberry into his mouth.

She laughed loudly and said, "I forgot how quick you are."

"It's why Tanya wanted my DNA," he said with a full mouth and Bella felt her smile fade. It was out in the open now, and time to have the difficult conversation. Edward sat up and shook his head before saying, "I'm sorry, that was rude."

"No, we need to talk about it," she said and sat up to face him. "Are you going to let her know Cade's alive?"

"No," he said quickly. "And not because I don't want to share him, it isn't the reason. His life will be so much better without her. He'll be safer if she believes he is still dead."

"What are your plans?" Bella asked him and he stared at her for a few quiet moments.

"I want to go to medical school. I don't want to be an agent anymore. Bella, are you sure you want to leave the bureau? If you want to go back, we don't have a future," he said and hoped she would pick him over the excitement of being an agent.

"I'm walking away regardless of where I end up," she told him.

"Okay," he said. "I want you in my life, but my focus needs to be on Cade. Can we work at our relationship with the complication of a baby?"

"I think it has to be all or nothing. I can't come in and out of Cade's life. If I want you it means you and Cade."

Edward gave her the same long stare as earlier and she finally found the nerve to ask him about it. "I can tell you are thinking something, what is it?"

"I guess I have to lay it all out there so you understand what I'm asking," he said and she noticed how scared he looked.

Her own heart began pounding as she tried to anticipate what he needed to say that made him so nervous. He had been through a traumatic experience and surely that took a toll on him, maybe he wanted to move slowly and see if she was really going to leave the agency before totally committing.

"I love you, Bella, and I know it all happened too fast, but it isn't just a woman I want." He swallowed deeply and looked down. "I need a mother for Cade. I'm asking you to adopt him and be his mother."

"What?" Bella asked, not exactly sure what he meant.

"I'm asking you to make it legal. So if you decide you don't want me, he still has a mother."

"Edward," she said so he would look at her again. "I want you both. I want to live with you, marry you, have more babies with you, and raise Cade with you."

"Medical school will be a long road," he said and she smiled and then shrugged. "You can count cards, we won't starve."

"Do you have a dream you want to follow?" he asked and noticed how she blushed and looked away. "Bella, out with it."

"Don't laugh at me," she said and began biting on her lip. "I really liked writing on FanNet and think I would like to try something more advanced. I'm not saying I won't work; I just want to do something where I can work on writing skills. I think a newspaper would be interested in my contacts and security clearance."

"How long before you'll marry me?" he asked and hoped it wasn't too soon to push for marriage.

She smiled and let her head fall to the side with an adorable smirk on her face, causing him to smile wider. "I'd marry you tonight, Cullen."

"You don't need to perfect dress?" he asked.

"Not when I have the perfect man," she replied.

"We would have to take a baby with us on our honeymoon," he said and began moving closer to her.

"I've never really seen Chicago, so we wouldn't have to go far," she said and felt her heart racing as he grew closer.

"You realize there's one big problem with this plan don't you?" he asked as his mouth was only inches from hers.

"No," she whispered.

"You would have to box up your apartment," he whispered back with a smile.

"Ah shit," she said right before he made contact, pulling her into his arms and kissing her like a man who just proposed.

She knew she would have to return to Virginia and pack up her place, just as he did a week ago, but the thought of leaving him and Cade was almost painful. She decided to stay until the end of the month and help Edward get settled and give herself a chance to bond with Cade before leaving.

They spent every moment together and she grew to know Cade's schedule and the difference between his cries. She had to fight Edward for every bottle and every dirty diaper, since he loved his son so much. Their time together drew them closer and closer and they fell effortlessly into a routine, just as they did on the case.

Jasper kept Edward aware of Tanya's movements and they both had to hope Winston would keep quiet about Cade's existence. His need for an agent like Tanya would keep him silent for now. Hopefully, he would forget about the child completely.

Their lives became so intertwined Bella couldn't leave to pack her things alone, so they all went. Bella worried about the possibility of running into Tanya coming in for a report or a new assignment, but Edward assured her ghosts didn't come in unless called in for disciplinary reasons.

A moving company was hired and they spent two days getting rid of extra stuff they wouldn't need before flying back home. They were sitting in the airport when an older woman spoke to them. "You're a beautiful family," she said in a thick accent.

"Thank you, I'm a lucky man," Edward replied.

"Your baby looks just like daddy, no?" she observed.

"He has his mother's sweet disposition," Edward answered and took Bella's hand.

A flight was called and the woman stood and tapped Edward on his leg with her cane. "You need to put a ring on her finger, young man." And she left to board her plane.

Bella laughed at the look on Edward's face. He turned to look at her with a stunned expression and then began laughing too. "That's it, were getting married right away."

"Fine, call my father and ask for my hand," she said to tease him further.

"Speaking of your parents," he said and got serious. "What do we tell them about Cade?"

"I haven't seen either of my parents in over a year," she said and he waited for more so she clarified. "Cade is my son, there is nothing more to say."

"Do you want a big wedding, Bella? Don't all girls dream of their weddings from the age of three or something?"

She knew he was feeling guilty for denying her something so she tried to ease his conscience. "I know a lot of girls who got their dream wedding, I want my dream marriage. I'd marry you at city hall in jeans and a baseball cap, as long as you promise to be my partner forever."

"Deal, how about this Friday, can you marry me in three days?" he asked with a huge grin and Bella nodded before kissing him deeply.

Nobody was surprised by their announcement a wedding would happen so quickly. Rose was very upset that Edward would marry before Emmett, but it was all her fault anyway. Edward was hired as a security guard at the hospital. He would be able to work evenings and attend school during the day. Bella worked for an online political blog. It was the perfect solution and allowed them to take care of Cade with minimal help.

Life was smooth and they were happy in their little bubble in the basement. Bella wrote for FanNet in her spare time and when she got a really spiteful review she felt a shiver run through her. People would always find a way to lash out and you couldn't hunt down someone and kill them to stop it. Too many people waited in the wings to fill the void.

One night Bella received a late night phone call from Charlie. "Hi, Bella, I have some results for you on that information you wanted," he said. She had forgotten all about the hacker she requested service from. She was just about to tell her father she no longer needed the information because the people had been stopped, but his remark kept her quiet.

"This is a pretty complicated web but it seems to stem from one place and work out from there." She knew he was going to mention Forks and she was only partially paying attention when he continued on. "Activity stalled for a couple of months but picked up again. It is basically a web of people interested in a site called FanNet. When someone responds with a review it locks their IP address and traces movement from that point forward. Someone is collecting all kinds of personal information, even home addresses."

"But it stopped, right dad?" Bella asked and wasn't sure why her gut was trying to warn her.

"No, it stalled out but recently traffic picked up again."

"Do you know where the final stop is, the person all of this is being fed to?" Bella asked.

"It can be followed to Italy and then a firewall loads a virus and the data scrambles," Charlie explained and his frustration was evident in his voice.

"So this is big, like international?" she asked.

"Yes, I personally feel it is a professional service, not one person but some sort of company or conglomeration."

_The shadow wasn't sure which one of the girls left the review so the entire dorm room would pay. They came in late after attending a party to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. They had been drinking and weren't paying attention to the fact the door was unlocked._

_One of the girls started a shower and locked the bathroom door. The pretty one headed right for the bedroom and fell onto the bed in exhaustion. She took a deep breath, her last one, when a hand clamped onto her face blocking off the air to her mouth and nose. Her eyes shot open and drops fell into them searing and sizzling as the acid ate away at them. When she stopped moving the shadow covered her with her own blanket and stepped back into the black darkness._

_Another girl came into the room and was grabbed from behind. Her neck was arched back and a sharp blade made its way across her pulsing artery. Blood shot into the dark room for only a moment until her head was roughly snapped and she collapsed to the ground._

_The final girl had never left a review on FanNet and was only vaguely aware of the site, but she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing the local police to believe a serial killer was targeting pretty coeds. She opened the bathroom door and was kicked back into the room by a strong foot. The air had been knocked from her lungs so she couldn't scream. She fell back into the tub and the stranger reached over and turned on the shower before turning on the blow dryer and tossing it into the tub with the young woman._

_The lights flickered and the smell of burning flesh filled the air as the shadow walked out the back door and across the campus without fear of being stopped._

Charlie's news made Bella sick to her stomach. She stared at her computer and rushed over to shut down her FanNet account. She couldn't stand having the laptop in the house and ran outside to dump it in the trash. Her desire to write stories was gone and she felt lucky to have escaped with her life and Cade's life.

She looked out at the sleepy tree lined street and shuddered at the thought that somewhere in the world there were killers just waiting for reviewers to say the wrong thing, just waiting in the shadows, behind doors, and ready to strike when you least expect it.

THE END


End file.
